Ise-itoko
by WarriorMan199456
Summary: Life has finally become a bit peaceful for Issei Hyoudou. Taking advantage of that opportunity, Leiko decides to spend some time with her younger cousin. But she soon finds out that spending time with her 'Ise-itoko' wasn't as normal as she hoped it would be. Issei x Ophis, mild one-sided Leiko x Issei. A Non-Canon snippet of High School DxD: Rise of the Solar God.
1. Chapter 1

**Tokyo**

It was a quiet blissful night within the city of Tokyo. The citizens were chatting contently with each other, conversing about their earlier activities.

Within the penthouse apartment of Issei Hyoudou, the former and his wife were sleeping contently in their bed. His wife, a pale beauty with silky long black hair and dark-gray eyes, held onto him in her arms, her grip in a possessive stance. Issei's soft breathing synced with his wife's sleeping sighs.

_BEEP BEEP_

Ophis the Ouroboros Dragon's eyes shot open at the random noise, and she turned her head to the side, spotting her mate's cell phone on the night stand. Gazing at the device momentarily, Ophis shrugged and held onto Issei tighter, attempting to fall asleep once more.

_BEEP BEEP_

The Infinite Dragon God narrowed her eyes and sent a childish glare towards the vibrating cell phone, seconds to decimating the damn device for ruining her sleep. With a faint huff, Ophis reluctantly removed her arms around Issei and sat up, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

_BEEP BE-_

Ophis snatched the cell phone off the nightstand and placed the phone on her ear, expecting it to be either Genshirou Saji or someone else who dared to interrupt her slumber.

"What?" She flatly greeted the caller.

_Ophis?_

The Ouroboros Dragon's annoyed expression lifted up just slightly at the sound of the curious voice.

'Cousin Leiko? Why is she calling at this time? This is the time in which I spoon my sleeping mate with absolutely no interruptions.'

"Cousin Leiko. " She began as a form of greeting, "How are you?"

_I'm fine. How are you?_

"I, am fine. What is your reason for calling here?"

The Dragon assumed it made no sense to beat around the bush, even if the person calling was her mate's cousin. If it had been anyone else, she would have hanged up the moment she heard his or her voice.

_Ise-itoko and I are supposed to go to a midnight movie tonight. I was just calling to remind him so he wouldn't forget._

Ophis removed the phone away from her ear and looked at the time.

'10:45 p.m. I, see Cousin Leiko's decision to call at a much earlier time.'

"I, care not for what the movie is. However, I must know how long the movie is going to be."

_Oh, it's only eighty-four minutes, Ophis. It really shouldn't be that long._

"An hour and twenty-four minutes? If the movie is this long, it is not that important enough for my mate to spend that much time away from me spooning him."

_Well I…wait. What did you just say?_

"Spooning." Ophis repeated, her monotone showing no embarrassment, "I, am spooning my mate. It is an act of affection in particular that I enjoy, Cousin Leiko."

If the two women were in the same room together, the Ouroboros Dragon would've noticed a crimson blush present on Leiko's cheeks. Ophis could practically _hear_ Leiko's heart beating from the phone.

_I…I..._

Ophis tilted her head as she waited for Leiko to stop in her stuttering. The Dragon was always blunt in her words, so she was a little confused by Leiko's reaction. As soon as Leiko fell silent, Ophis took the initiative.

"When the movie is over, you will bring my Issei back immediately."

_Huh?_

"Why are you confused? Do you intend to not bring Issei back to me?"

_N-no of course not! I was just going to suggest that you come with us too. I can get an extra ticket for you._

"I, have no interest in watching a movie, Cousin Leiko. You may take my mate to this 'midnight movie'. But you will also bring him back as soon as the movie is over. Is that understood?"

_Um…sure. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?_

"I, am sure. My mate will arrive to your location shortly." Ophis replied before ending their discussion.

Placing the cell phone on the nightstand, Ophis adopted an annoyed expression, which slowly softened as she sent her gaze towards her sleeping mate.

She then checked the time on the cell phone again, finding that it was now 10:50.

"Stupid Cousin Leiko," The Ouroboros Dragon muttered in annoyance with a cute pout, "Interrupting my spooning with my precious Issei."

**Outside of the Cinema**

After making sure to placate his wife by promising to bring some sweets when he got home, Issei set out to find the cinema of where the midnight movie would take place. The Solar God was dressed in a white-buttoned shirt which was covered by a black jean jacket, blue jeans, and black boots.

Trying to sense his cousin's energy signature within the large crowd of people outside, Issei looked around calmly. He lifted his wrist to his face, peering at his watch.

"11:25. I've still got enough time. I just need to find Leiko-san."

"Ise-itoko! Over here!"

Issei reacted to the sound of the voice by looking around, only to widen his eyes in confusion. A young woman was waving to him, making it clear that she was the one who called him. Issei blinked several times as he looked at the woman.

He was sure it was Leiko. It was just that the elder Hyoudou looked a little different from the last time he had seen her. And it wasn't even that long ago. The woman waving to him retained the same brown hair and forest green eyes.

…Wait.

Forest green eyes?

"Leiko-san? Is that you?"

The forest green eyes were definitely unfamiliar. The style of her brown hair was far different than Issei had ever seen it. It was no longer long and straight, but short, frizzy, and shoulder-length. Leiko's attire consisted of a black top, blue jeans, and light brown shoes.

Issei blinked again as he slowly walked over to the apparent Leiko, who huffed in response to his question.

"Come on," She said, "I don't look that different."

The Solar God begged to differ, but only one person called him 'Ise-itoko', and that person was Leiko. At least he could be sure that it was indeed his adoptive cousin.

"What happened to you, Leiko-san? What happened to your hair and your eyes?"

Leiko smiled as she crossed her arms, enjoying the look of confusion on her younger cousin's face.

"I've decided to go for a new look, Ise-itoko. I cut my hair and got some contacts."

"Contacts?"

"They're thin lens placed directly on the surface of the eye."

"So you didn't change your eye color?"

"No, but as long as I have the contacts on, it just looks like I have green eyes."

"What about your hair? Why'd you cut it?"

Brushing her new short hair away from her eyes, Leiko sent Issei another smile.

"My Ise-itoko has much to learn, doesn't he?" She teased slightly.

Issei only blinked in response, prompting Leiko's smile to widen.

"I thought about everything that has happened lately, Issei. The contact with the supernatural, finding out that your cousin is a Super Saiyan, meeting the Shinigami and God Herself, and gaining two Dragons as cousin-in-laws, is a lot for me to take in."

She noticed her cousin's confused expression at the 'Super Saiyan' remark, and she prevented herself from laughing by continuing her words.

"Now that everything's peaceful again, I decided it was time for me to change my style a little. You know, to start anew."

"And that's why you cut some of your hair?"

"That's right. The hair's a part of my body, Ise-itoko. So when I cut my hair, it meant that I chose to live a new life. It's my choice."

"...So it's a sign of maturity?"

"Exactly."

"Oh. "

The elder Hyoudou's facial expression suddenly morphed into a look that exuded slight coyness. She held her arms and placed them behind herself, biting her lip, seemingly in a fit of shyness.

"So what do you think, Ise-itoko? Does it look okay?" She asked.

Issei placed his hands in his pockets, his eyes locked onto his cousin. With a tilt of his head, Issei offered Leiko a nod.

"It's a little strange, Leiko-san. I'm used to seeing you with longer hair. Hmm."

The 'shy' look on Leiko's face noticeably dissipated in response to Issei's answer. Before she could open her mouth to respond, Issei continued his words.

"It's pretty though," He amended with a smile, "A little weird, but a good weird."

Leiko went to open her mouth, and then paused as she closed it immediately. Issei's last sentence caused her mind to stop momentarily. Although the statement was innocent at best; at least she hoped it was innocent; it brought a strange wave of lightheadedness over her.

Issei's smile disappeared as he noticed something strange happening to his older cousin.

"Leiko-san? Are you all right? Your face is glowing like a tomato."

In response to Issei's concern, Leiko finally caught her momentary lapse in silence, and touched her face. Her forest green eyes widened as she felt the heated touch of her face, and removed her hand away immediately.

With an eyebrow raise, Issei lifted his hand up and placed it on Leiko's forehead, oblivious to the latter's quiet squeak of surprise.

"Hmm," Issei hummed, "So this is what Red was talking about."

At the mention of the Apocalypse Dragon, Leiko's surprised expression morphed into her normal look of annoyance. Trying to ignore Issei's touch, Leiko let out a scoff.

"What did he say this time?"

"He said that whenever your face turns red you're either angry or delving into your cousin complex tendencies, or whatever he was talking about."

Leiko's eyes widened in a comical fashion, and with a scowling pout, she clenched her fists.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?! I DO NOT HAVE A COUSIN-COMPLEX!" She screamed.

The crowd of citizens that stood near the Cinema started to quiet their voices down at the sound of Leiko's declaration.

Taking a few deep breaths, Leiko looked around her surroundings, and noticed that all eyes were on her shaking frame.

Widening her eyes, Leiko's jaw fell open, unable to believe what she had just done. Very reluctantly, her forest-green eyes traveled over to her 'Ise-itoko', who stared at her with surprised brown eyes.

"I…didn't say you had a cousin-complex, Leiko-san." He said with a confused tone, "I don't even know what that is."

Leiko felt her face heat up completely, her appearance resembling a tomato in clothing. She found enough willpower to lift her hand up and close her mouth, her blush not even close to leaving her face.

Blinking several times, Issei finally removed his hand from Leiko's forehead, and placed his arms to his side. Leiko resisted the urge to sigh in tiredness, cursing the Apocalypse Dragon to oblivion, knowing, just knowing that the jackass was probably laughing his ass off in the Dimensional Gap.

* * *

**Dimensional Gap**

"Pfft! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Oh man, that shit is priceless!"

* * *

**Back at the Cinema**

It was now 11:55, with only five minutes remaining until the midnight showing. The citizens in front of the Cinema had fortunately resolved to forget about the twenty-four year old woman who was _clearly_ in denial about her 'cousin-complex'.

Leiko, her face still red, was fuming inside, planning to somehow successfully get back at the Great Red. What could she do? She could wreck his motorcycle. But then he would just create another one.

…

Screw it. She would just get Ophis to beat him up. It was better than nothing.

"Hey, Leiko-san."

Leiko turned to look at her younger cousin, who was looking at her with a combination of concern and hesitance.

"You ok?"

The elder Hyoudou went ready to open her mouth, until she closed it immediately. With a deep sigh, she offered Issei a soft smile.

"I'm fine, Ise-itoko. I guess I got a little carried away. Hahaha." Leiko said as she chuckled a little.

Issei blinked and nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with Leiko's answer. Looking at his watch, the Solar God perked up a little.

"Movie's about to start. We should get going."

"Hmm," Leiko hummed, "Yeah, we should."

As he and Leiko followed the crowd into the Cinema, Issei turned to look at his cousin in curiosity.

"By the way, Leiko-san," Issei began, "What movie are we seeing anyway?"

"Drag So-Ball Evolution." She answered.

Issei stopped in his pace as he adopted a hesitant expression.

"We're watching that?"

Leiko stopped to look at her cousin, and she tilted her head.

"Yeah. Why? Do you not want to see it?"

"It's just that the guy who lives in the apartment above me told me about this movie. Morisawa, I think his name was."

"What did he say?"

"He called the movie an irredeemable abomination."

Leiko blinked at Morisawa's apparent choice of words.

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

Issei only shrugged in response, prompting Leiko to roll her eyes and grab hold of her cousin's arm. With a bout of reluctant eagerness, Leiko dragged her cousin into the Cinema.

* * *

**84 Minutes Later**

Citizens stormed out of the Cinema, cursing out storms towards the movie. Following them, were a rather traumatized and wide-eyed Issei, and a enraged Leiko.

Shaking himself out of his weary state, Issei cautiously looked over to his cousin, noticing that she was trying to hold in her curses. He also noticed that Leiko's face was sporting that tomato-red color, and absolutely knew that his cousin's face wasn't red because she was blushing.

"…Leiko-san?"

"Drag So-Ball Evolution?! Ha! Evolution my ass! More like Drag So-Ball Devolution!"

Issei closed his mouth shut, having the strange feeling that he was going to be subjected to a long rant.

Oh well. At least he got to spend some time with his cousin.

'I wonder what Ophis-chan is doing. I hope she's doing all right at the house. I gotta remember to get some sweets for her.'

* * *

**Issei's Penthouse Apartment**

"Uno out."

"_You did not say Uno when you placed your second to last card on the table."_

Ophis glared at her opponent with a cute pout, and she placed her card on her lap. Her opponent stared at her with her emotionless green eyes.

"You did not say Uno in our previous match either."

_"That is correct. However, the rules do not apply to me."_

"Why is that?" Ophis asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

The 'Above' Entity tilted her head as she maintained her gaze on the Ouroboros Dragon. Sitting inanimately near her was a plush version of Issei Hyoudou.

Ophis noticeably bristled at the plush version of her mate, but held her tongue, knowing that the real Issei was hers.

_"Because I am God."_

"So?"

_"As some mortals would say in this world," _The 'Above' Entity began, her voice gaining a tone of emotion, "_Screw the rules, I am God."_

**Yo. What's up, everyone. I've been struggling to write something on Fanfiction for the past few days because college work is literally taking a bit of free time out of me. With some good news on the way, Chapter 48 on Rise of the Solar God is still being written, but not done completely.**

**This fic was an attempt to get me back on track with Fanfiction. Hopefully, it might have succeeded in getting me back onto the site.**

**P.S. I'm going to confirm it right now, just throwing it out there. Leiko **_**does**_** indeed have a 'cousin-complex'. She's just in denial. Great, great denial.**

**See you guys later. Hope you liked it, and have a good Thanksgiving.**

**Read &amp; Review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

* * *

**Bakery**

"The_ first_ thing I hated about the movie was how 'Satoru Soramago' just suddenly crashed onto the Earth in such a stupid way."

"Well I mean…" Issei hesitated in his words, "I was sent to Earth as well, Leiko-san."

"Yeah, but at least_ you_ didn't crash onto Earth via meteor, Ise-itoko! Amaterasu sending you to the Grand Ise Shrine was much more appropriate! In the original Drag So-Ball manga, Satoru was sent to Earth in a spacecraft!"

"I-"

"_Then_ there was the stupid mistake of making Satoru a high-school student, when in the original manga he didn't know a damn thing about education!"

"But…I'm a high-school student too." Issei said.

"That's right," Leiko replied, "But in the manga, Satoru never had a proper education. He may have not been good in social skills, but he knew how to fight, just like you, Ise-itoko! And-"

"Leiko-san? Are you okay?"

"Of course I am, Ise-itoko. What makes you think I'm not?"

"You're shaking the table."

Leiko mimicked the position of Issei's lowered head, and looked down to see her hands gripping the table. Her grip was apparently strong, as the table was indeed shaking. Sporting a slight embarrassed look on her face, Leiko released her strong hold and placed her hands on her lap.

In an effort to calm Leiko down, Issei decided for the two of them to have a midnight snack at the nearest bakery. Besides, he was planning on bringing back Ophis some sweets like he had promised to, so the bakery was a good choice.

Leiko's hands continued to fidget about as she narrowed her eyes. Issei glanced at his cousin in slight concern, genuinely puzzled at Leiko's reaction to the movie.

Sure, the Solar God would admit that he tended to get angry whenever anyone tried to harm his family or deliberately wrong him. But it was just a movie.

Unless…

Did Leiko think that the Drag-So Ball Evolution movie…had wronged her or something? And that the wrong that was inflicted onto her was the waste of eighty-four minutes of her life that she would never get back?

Issei didn't know if he could even consider that a wronged offense. Of course he wasn't going to say that to Leiko, lest he want to make his cousin angry again. He would just have to find out how to calm the temperamental Leiko.

"Leiko-san?" He asked.

Leiko's eyes widened as she locked her orbs of sight with her cousin.

"Huh?"

"Do you…want to talk about it? Talk about what you didn't like or…barely tolerate about the movie?"

If he could convince Leiko to vent the rest of her frustrations about the movie, perhaps that could be the solution to calm her down. After all, he was in no way oblivious to his cousin's anger. As Leiko lowered her eyes, she shook her head slowly, her facial expression softening.

"N-no. I'm fine, Ise-itoko. Maybe I shouldn't have overreacted like that. After all…it's just a movie."

Folding her hands together, Leiko locked eyes with her cousin and took a deep breath. She looked around the bakery, spotting the numerous pastries and sweets. As she went to speak, she looked up just in time to see Issei place his hand on her forehead. Immediately, she felt her face heat up.

With his hand on his cousin's headache, Issei closed his eyes, his face set into a expression of concentration. Leiko stared at her younger cousin with her eyes wide, her heart beating rapidly. The faint blush on her face had completely evolved into a full-crimson glow.

'Ise-itoko…'

Leiko's eyes widened further as she suddenly felt the wave of heat leave her body, the red color leaving her face. Opening his eyes, Issei removed his hand away from his cousin's forehead, and leaned back into his seat, noticing Leiko's surprised look.

"Ise-itoko…what did you-"

With a soft look, Issei placed his arms on the table.

"Your face was turning red, Leiko-san. I could literally feel the heat emitting off from your body. I didn't want you to blow a gasket or whatever the phrase is called."

Leiko maintained her wide-eyed stare as she gulped down a nervous lump in her throat. Attempting to compose herself, Leiko looked over to the pastries section to see the female cashier conversing with a customer.

"Issei?"

"Hmm?" He replied.

"Could you buy me some sweets from that woman near the counter? I'm a little hungry."

"Sure." Issei said as he nodded.

Issei got up from his seat and went to purchase Leiko's request, leaving the elder Hyoudou to sit by herself. Sighing, Leiko brushed a strand of her short brown hair out of her eyes.

"Wow! Look at him!"

"I know right? He's so handsome!"

Leiko blinked several times as she turned around to see two identical young women with their eyes set on Issei. She noticed that the twins were giggling cheerfully, their suggestive glances towards _her_ Ise-itoko a little off-putting.

Against her better judgment, Leiko went ready to open her mouth to tell them to politely back off, until one of the girls spoke to her.

"Hey! You know him, right?"

Leiko paused in her words, trying to word out her reply in the most possible non-rudimentary way.

"And if I do?"

"Well it's just that we saw him sitting in front of you," The other girl replied, "We're in the same class with him at Kuoh Academy. He always sits in the back of the class and keeps to himself. It's kind of weird, but he doesn't seem that bad. He's really cute though."

Oh they were so dead!

"You think he's cute?" Leiko asked in a suspicious tone, not entirely disagreeing with the second girl.

Something wasn't sitting right with her. She couldn't tell if it was her overprotective nature, or-

"Well duh! I was thinking of asking him out the next morning at school."

...Ok. Now _that_ was the straw that broke the camel's back!

"Why do you get to ask him out?" The first girl asked indignantly, "I sit right in front of him at school!"

"That doesn't mean anything!" The second twin countered.

Taking a deep breath, Leiko closed her eyes and turned her body to face the argumentative twins. She would have to take care of this in a mature fashion.

"What makes you think he doesn't have a girlfriend?" She asked.

The twins stopped in their bickering and turned to look at a deceptively calm Leiko. The elder Hyoudou narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms.

"What?" The first twin asked, "Do you know who his girlfriend is?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Leiko replied, "And let me tell you girls something."

The twins shared confused glances as Leiko's expression seemed to darken slightly.

"He is _off-limits._ Do you understand?"

The second twin raised an eyebrow and glared at Leiko.

"Who are you to tell us that he's off-limits? You're not his mother."

'No, but I'm the one who's going to make sure you don't take him away from me.' She thought darkly before she cleared her head.

"I'm aware that I'm not his mother. But I know him better than he knows himself. I've also known him more than you ever will."

"How do we know you're not lying?" The first twin challenged.

"Because he's my cousin."

The twins widened their eyes slightly as they scooted away from Leiko.

"He's my cousin." Leiko repeated, "My little cousin. _My_ Itoko-chan. Like I said not too long ago, I know my Itoko-chan better than he knows himself. I know how he acts, thinks, and feels."

The girls' eyes widened further as they scooted away again. The twins were starting to grow wary of the temperamental girl.

"H-hey, we're sorry." The second twin offered, "We didn't...know he was your cousin."

Leiko was about to say more, until suddenly, she felt the heat leave her face. Widening her eyes, she looked up to see Issei with his hand on top of her head. The Solar God gazed at his older cousin with concerned hesitance, his other hand occupied by the three bags of doughnuts and sweets.

Her face sporting a blush, Leiko looked over to the side to see two empty seats. She widened her eyes further as the door to the bakery closed immediately, leaving a slight gust of wind.

"Leiko-san, what's the matter? Your face is all red again."

Within her mind, bouts of emotions were rushing through Leiko's thoughts. She had almost lost her temper with the twins as soon as the first one contemplated on dating _her_ Ise-itoko.

Of course there was the obvious factor of Ophis' claim of Issei as her mate. But still…

Issei was _her_ Itoko-chan.

Leiko exhaled deeply and released a prolonged breath, closing her eyes to calm herself. She had to keep her temper in check. She hadn't gotten this angry since the first time Great Red accused of her harboring a cousin-complex. Now those twins had the _audacity_ to–to….

Leiko shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was overreacting again, and she couldn't let that side of herself reveal itself the longer she was in front of her cousin. Rubbing her forehead in an attempt to soothe her ever-growing headache, Leiko forced a small smile on her face, and got up from her seat.

She gently grabbed her bag from her cousin's hand, and widened her smile towards Issei.

"I'm ok, Ise-itoko."

* * *

**Outside of the Bakery**

Leiko and Issei walked out of the bakery, leaving before the store's closing time. As she walked in front of her cousin, Leiko widened her eyes as she spotted the twins sitting next to each other on a nearby bench. She stopped in her pace as a hesitant expression crossed her face, numerous thoughts flowing through her mind.

One of the twins looked up, and she immediately went to warn her sister, until Leiko spoke up.

"Hold on…"

The girls stared cautiously up at Leiko, with one of them sending a glance towards Issei, who looked at them curiously. Sighing in what almost seemed like regret, Leiko locked eyes with the twins.

"I…want to apologize to how I acted back there in the bakery." She began, "I'm just a little protective of my cousin because he doesn't have good social skills."

She wasn't technically lying. Issei sometimes had trouble interacting with other people. Well…other people that didn't include herself, Ophis, Great Red, and the rest of the supernatural entities.

...Ok, he had trouble interacting with 'normal' people, but that was beside the point.

One of the women adopted a surprised expression as she looked over at Issei, who had set his confused gaze to his older cousin. The second twin's eyes were locked onto Leiko's.

"It's okay." She replied with a genuine smile, "I think it's nice that you're looking after your cousin."

Leiko sent a soft smile to the second twin and nodded to her with a thankful gaze. The first twin removed her gaze from Issei and looked over to Leiko, sending her a slight nod.

"Thank you so much for understanding," Leiko said with a grateful tone of voice, "And again, I'm sorry for my behavior back there."

"It's all right," The second twin said as her smile widened.

Nodding to the twins, Leiko looked over to Issei and reached for his arm. She walked away from the twins, her mood brightening with each step.

"Leiko-san? What was that all about?"

Unable to suppress her smile, Leiko turned to look at her cousin.

"...Nothing, Ise-itoko. It's just another example of 'starting anew'."

* * *

As Leiko pulled Issei along, the twins remained on the bench, watching them leave. Raising an eyebrow to her sister, the first twin crossed her arms.

"So she _does_ have a cous-"

"-In-complex?" The second twin finished for her with a nod of the head, "Definitely."

**Read &amp; Review :)**


	3. Me and My Big Mouth

**Outside of Issei's Apartment**

"Wow. It's almost 3 a.m." Issei mused as he looked at his watch, "I better get these sweets to Ophis before she goes to sleep."

Leiko smiled as she shook her head in response. She looked up to see that she and her younger cousin were almost at the latter's house. The elder Hyoudou stood in front of Issei as she placed her hands in her pockets.

Issei stopped in his pace and smiled at Leiko softly.

"Well…in spite of the movie, I had a great time, Leiko-san. It's rare that we get to spend some time together without anything happening."

"Hmm," Leiko hummed gently as her smile widened, "I had an excellent time too, Ise-itoko."

Placing his hands in his pockets, Issei tilted his head slightly.

"Do you want me to walk you, or just teleport you home, Leiko-san? It's still a little dark out here."

As soon as Issei offered his suggestion, a faint crimson blush appeared on Leiko's face. Fortunately for her, Issei had turned his attention to his watch the moment he finished his sentence.

Leiko shook her head and cleared her throat, attempting to voice out her thoughts.

"U-um… actually, Ise-itoko," Leiko began with a nervous tone of voice, "Could I actually spend the rest of the night here?"

Issei looked up and gave his older cousin a questioning expression.

"You want to sleep over here?" He asked, "Is there something wrong at your house?"

"Oh no. It's just that…" Leiko began before her words trailed off.

What could she say? She didn't really have a reason for wanting to stay over at her cousin's house for the rest of the night. She could say that the walk home would be a bit tiresome. But then Issei would just opt to teleport her there.

Leiko searched through her thoughts in an attempt to think of an answer. Widening her eyes, Leiko mentally slapped herself as she realized that she still had another dilemma.

Ophis…

Trying to convince Ophis to do anything for someone else was as successful as trying to escape from Great Red after _staring_ at him for too long. Leiko had already annoyed the Ouroboros Dragon when the latter bluntly revealed that she had interrupted her 'spooning' with Issei.

Boy was she glad that she was talking to Ophis on the phone at the time. At least that way Ophis wouldn't have seen her blush.

But Leiko knew that Ophis didn't hate her. After all, she and Ophis were one of the few people who genuinely understood and knew Issei. They both knew how he acted, how he thought, and how he viewed the world.

Although she would never admit it to the Infinite Dragon God, Leiko felt that she knew her 'Ise-itoko' far longer than she had. Then again, the Dragon God was still living in the Dimensional Gap at the time, so Leiko couldn't really count that.

"Leiko-san."

Leiko flinched as she was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts. She blinked several times and looked up to see Issei with his hand on the front door. The Solar God looked at his older cousin curiously.

"You can stay for the night if you want," Issei said with a shrug, "Just let me talk to Ophis and hear what she says."

Leiko blinked again as she slowly nodded, and followed her cousin into the apartment.

* * *

The walk to Issei's door was quiet, as some of the people were no doubt in their beds.

As they walked up to the last hallway, the door at the end opened, revealing a man with short messy black hair and glasses. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked to see Issei and a young woman in her twenties with short brown frizzy hair and forest green eyes. As Issei went to insert his key in his door, the man made his presence known.

"Issei Hyoudou?"

At the call of his name, Issei looked over to see the man, and nodded to him in recognition.

"Morisawa. What's up?" He greeted.

Morisawa sent his sights over to Leiko, who raised an eyebrow in response to his stare.

"Did you see that abomination I warned you about?"

"How did you know?" Issei asked in surprise.

"I can literally _feel_ the surge of righteous hatred flowing off from her." He replied, alluding to Leiko.

Issei spotted Leiko's expression immediately darkening, and he prevented her forthcoming rant by teleporting into his house instead of opening the door.

Blinking several times, Morisawa shrugged and went to walk to his door. Seconds later, he sprinted out again and widened his eyes as he did a double-take, staring at the former spot where Issei and the young woman stood.

"Did he just…do Instant Transmission?!"

* * *

**Inside of Issei's Penthouse Apartment**

"Sorry about that, Leiko-san. But I didn't want you and Morisawa to get into a debate."

"It's all right, Ise-itoko." Leiko gently brushed off her cousin's apology.

"My Issei. You are back."

Leiko and Issei turned their attention to the Ouroboros Dragon, who was lying sideways on the couch. Her dark-gray eyes were flat and narrowed, exuding an annoyed yet relieved aura. Issei smiled as he walked over to his wife and sat down next to her.

The Solar God resisted the urge to laugh at the Infinite Dragon God's pout, and gently rubbed Ophis' hair, prompting the Dragon's expression to soften slightly. His smile widening at Ophis' look, Issei bent down to place a kiss on her cheek.

"Sorry we got back a little late, Ophis. We went to the bakery after the movie ended."

Ophis blinked as she spotted the bag of sweets in her mate's hand. Her half-glare immediately dissipated as her stomach growled. Leiko widened her eyes at the growling sound, and she kept her mouth shut as she looked around the penthouse apartment.

"I, forgive you, my Issei." Ophis said, her monotone voice never changing.

Ophis took the bag away from her mate and sat up on the couch. As she reached into the bag, the Ouroboros Dragon sent her attention over to the quiet Leiko. She tilted her head slightly to the left, her narrowed eyes lifting up. She gave Leiko a strange look, which did not go unnoticed by the human.

"Cousin Leiko?"

Leiko smiled as she waved to the Dragon God.

"Hi, Ophis."

Ophis stared almost intently at the elder Hyoudou, her eyes softening.

"I, did not recognize you immediately. You have changed your outward appearance. Your hair is short, and your eyes are no longer crimson."

Leiko's smile turned into one of amusement as she mentally shook her head. Her 'Ise-itoko' didn't recognize her either, so she wouldn't give Ophis a hard time about it.

After a few more seconds of staring at her mate's cousin, Ophis resumed her searching for the first sign of a doughnut.

"Cousin Leiko. How was the midnight movie?"

Issei immediately locked eyes with his cousin's, hoping that she wouldn't go on another rant. Much to his surprise, Leiko merely gave Ophis a small shrug.

"It wasn't that good, Ophis."

Ophis tilted her head again and went back to eating her food. As Issei gave Leiko a side glance, he cleared his throat and folded his hands.

"Ophis," He began, "Would it be all right if Leiko could stay the night over?"

Ophis gulped down the doughnut, her mouth full of the chewy and doughy fluffiness. The Ouroboros Dragon looked over to her mate's cousin. Leiko didn't know why, but the temperature of the area surrounding her seemed to be getting a bit lower.

Her younger cousin's wife wasn't even giving her a chilling glare, or her usual blank stare. Ophis' gaze was bordering on a combination of thoughtfulness with a sense of calculated aloofness. Leiko noticed the Dragon God's pointed ears twitching just slightly, and just for a moment, she had the feeling that she was being judged.

"Cousin Leiko can stay here," Ophis finally answered while lifting only a finger up, "On one condition."

Leiko widened her eyes at Ophis' answer. She wasn't expecting the Ouroboros Dragon to say yes that quickly. Maybe she had been wrong to be a little hesitant around Ophis. After all, if she was affiliated with her 'Ise-itoko', then she was already considered family in her eyes.

"What's the condition?" She asked.

It couldn't be that bad if it was Ophis initiating the condition.

"When my Issei and I awaken," Ophis began before pointing to Leiko, "You shall be the one to cook breakfast for us."

…Ok, she could do that.

Holding back a cheerful squeal (because _squealing_ about the notion of spending time with her younger cousin was _so_ beneath her), Leiko nodded with a smile.

"Sure. I can manage that."

Sending Leiko a nod, Ophis got up from her seat on the couch and ate another doughnut. She then walked towards her shared bedroom with Issei, leaving the Solar God and Leiko in the living room. Issei crossed his arms as he looked towards Leiko and smiled at her.

"Well, that's that. I guess I'll go ahead set up the couch, and we should be able to go to slee-"

"Wait a minute, Ise-itoko." Leiko interrupted.

Issei blinked as he noticed the hesitant look on Leiko's face.

"What is it, Leiko-san?"

Leiko gulped down a nervous lump in her throat as she twiddled her index fingers. She had already risked it by asking Ophis to stay over the night. That was her initial intention. But there was something else she wanted to do. She may have been pushing it a little, but the rush of her 'complex' urges were beginning to accumulate in her thoughts.

"Could I…sleep in the same bed as you and Ophis?"

Issei blinked at Leiko's question.

'Where did that question come from?'

He opened his mouth to speak, until his wife made her presence known by suddenly teleporting in front of the elder Hyoudou.

Leiko widened her eyes and backed away a few steps. Ophis' intent gaze didn't seem to be threatening, but it was still a little chilling. Ophis slowly tilted her head.

"You wish to sleep next to my Issei and I, Cousin Leiko. What is your reason for wanting to do this?"

The elder Hyoudou felt her body stiffen, her confidence slowly fading. Why oh why did she have to delve into her damn 'complex' urges _now_?

**Read &amp; Review :)**


	4. One Night at Ophis'

**Outside of Issei's Penthouse Apartment**

A lone figure planted one foot on the ground as he stopped in front of Issei's penthouse apartment. His ice blue eyes were sharp as he looked up towards the only window with the lights on. The cold weather summoned a breeze that blew through his short silver-hair.

_(Honestly, Vali. As much as I would love to argue with Ddraig over trivial things, do you really think his host isn't asleep at the moment?)_

"And do _you_ really think I care about that? Issei Hyoudou has owed me a rematch for months now, and at the moment I don't feel like waiting any longer. Even if he was asleep, which he isn't, something like that won't deter me."

_(How do you know Ddraig's host is awake?)_

"For one thing, Ophis is still awake. Plus, I can sense the aura of his cousin with him."

_(The Moon God?)_

"No," Vali answered as he rolled his eyes, "The clingy one."

_(…Ah. The female one.)_

"Precisely. What is she even doing here?" The host of the Vanishing Dragon muttered to himself, "Especially at 3 a.m."

_(Humph. Why don't you ask yourself the same question?)_

Vali rolled his eyes and walked towards the intercom. Spotting his rival's room number, he pressed only a finger on the button.

* * *

**Inside Issei's Penthouse Apartment**

Issei silently looked at the two women who stood in front of each other. He narrowed his eyes a little as he sensed the intensified energy flowing off of his wife, and the faint energy signature emitting from Leiko.

The Solar God brought his sights over to his wife as he studied her posture and expression. He thought that Ophis had long ago abandoned the jealously and possessiveness regarding him. Of course it wasn't like he didn't know how his wife acted.

Issei set his lips into a thin line as he looked back to his cousin. He noticed Leiko's nervous expression, along with her wide-eyed stare. Inwardly sighing, Issei stood up from his seat, getting the sudden attention from his wife and cousin.

"My Issei?"

"Ise-itoko?"

"Ophis, it's all right." He said in an attempt to ease the tension, "Just let Leiko-san explain herself for a minute. I'm sure she has a reason for…wanting to sleep in the same bed with us."

_{Damn, partner. Even that sounded awkward coming from you.}_

'Hush, Ddraig. It's not like I could have predicted Leiko-san asking something like that.'

_((…You really don't know your cousin that much, do you kid?))_

'You hush too, Al!' Issei shushed the clone of the Vanishing Dragon.

_[Cousssssin Leiko…is strange.]_

_{See, partner? Even the Orochi is creeped out.}_

Issei chose to ignore the beings that dwelled within his inner world. If he did so, they would stop eventually.

Ophis tilted her head as she set her eyes towards her cousin-in law. Leiko on the other hand, kept her mouth shut and looked towards her younger cousin. It was true that she wanted to sleep in the same bed with Ophis and Issei, but it wasn't like she had an actual reason.

She got caught up in the moment! That was all! But still, what could she say? The elder Hyoudou was getting blanks in her head, unable to think of what to reply. God, why was it so hard for her? After all, _she_ was the normal one within her Ise-itoko's relationships.

Damn it, what was wrong with her?!

"Leiko-san?"

"Cousin Leiko."

The elder Hyoudou paused in her mental debate to see Issei and Ophis looking at her with confused looks on their faces.

'Oh god, they're waiting for me to reply! Come on Leiko, think of something! You're smarter than this!'

_BEEP!_

The occupants within Issei's penthouse apartment snapped out of their staring at the sound of the former's intercom. Raising an eyebrow at the unexpected sound, Issei walked over to his door and pressed the speaker button.

"Yes?"

"Yo, rival."

"…Vali?"

_{Hmm, that's interesting. What is Albion's host doing up so late?}_

_((Humph. I thought I sensed my other self nearby.))_

_{Then why didn't you say anything?!}_

_((I thought you and our host would have sensed him anyw-))_

Issei cut off the mind link and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand. Which was wondering why on Earth Vali decided to talk to him at a time like this?

As Ophis tilted her head, Leiko released a sigh that she didn't even know she was holding. Thank _god_ her moment was fortunately interrupted. At least now she had more time to think of a perfect response.

"Vali, what are you doing here?" Issei asked as he checked his watch, "It's almost 4 a.m."

"Is it a crime to check up on an old rival once in a while?" Vali quipped.

"It is when you do not have my permission to do so." Ophis replied dryly.

"…Ah. Hello Ophis." The host of the Vanishing Dragon deadpanned, "And hello to you as well, Leiko Hyoudou."

Leiko widened her eyes in confusion.

"How did he-"

"It's not that hard to sense your energy, especially when it's constantly spiraling out of control when you're near Issei Hyoudou."

Leiko frowned as she pushed past Issei to speak directly into the intercom.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing important," Vali brushed off Leiko's angry reply, "Anyway, rival. I thought it was about time we had our rematch. Now that we're in times of peace, I think it should be a pretty good opportunity."

"Vali." Issei replied blankly, "It's almost four in the morning. Besides, I just came back from the movies and I'm tired."

"What's your point?"

"Well if I'm tired, then I'm not gonna be that much of a good sparring partner, now am I?"

"…"

"You still there, Vali?"

"Look, rival. I haven't had a good battle in months. The only battle I've had so far was the one with Loki in that blasted tournament Indra created. And even then it wasn't that enjoyable."

Issei sighed as he leaned his face on the door. Of course the descendant of Lucifer _had_ to be stubborn. But the Solar God didn't want to leave Leiko and Ophis to themselves.

"My Issei. You may go with Vali."

Issei widened his eyes and turned his head to look at Ophis curiously. Leiko also shared his expression, although there was a sense of wonderment.

_{Hmm. What could be the reason for this? Perhaps she might want to interrogate the human.}_

_((Interrogate her about what? It's obvious she wants to sleep with our host, Ddraig.))_

_{Obviously. But Ouroboros could interpret it in a very negative way.}_

Fortunately for Issei, he had blocked the mind-link between him and the Two Heavenly Dragons. Even so, he immediately shook as his body unconsciously felt cold. Ignoring the sudden change in temperature, Issei blinked towards his wife.

"What do you mean, Ophis? It's not like I _want_ to spar with Vali right now."

"Rival, you wound me." Vali replied in a mocking tone.

"Shut up, Vali." Issei said without even looking back at the intercom.

"Why do you want to fight Ise-itoko so badly?" Leiko asked, just for the sake of curiosity, "It's not like the both of you aren't going to tire out and end the fight eventually."

"…Let me ask you something, Leiko Hyoudou." Vali began, "Why do you want to spend so much time with Rival?"

"What?" Leiko raised an eyebrow at the question, "What kind of question is that? He's my Itoko-chan! I think I should have a right to spend time with him when I want to."

"And I'm not? Issei Hyoudou is my rival and is definitely one of the strongest opponents I've yet to face in a one-on-one match. I've fought him once and that was only because I destroyed the Great Red's motorcycle that one time."

"And that was clearly a stupid idea to begin with, Vali." Issei couldn't help but put in.

"You'd do anything for a fight, wouldn't you?" Leiko asked rhetorically.

"You ask that like it's a bad thing."

"Look," Leiko said in an annoyed tone, "Ise-itoko doesn't have to fight you if he doesn't want to."

"Hyoudou never gave me an answer."

"He _just _told Ophis he didn't want to spar with you!" Leiko finally lost her patience.

"Hyoudou, just fight with me so I can cure my boredom. Or else."

"Or else what, Vali?" Issei said with an exhausted air.

"…I'll kidnap your cousin."

It was quiet within the Solar God's penthouse apartment, the temperature changing due to the sudden intensity of Issei. Leiko let out a gasp of surprise as she watched her Ise-itoko's expression immediately darken.

"Damn it, Vali! Don't even joke about that!"

Leiko widened her eyes as she went to calm her cousin down, until Issei clicked his tongue and transmitted away.

"Come now, Rival," Vali's voice through the intercom rang, "You know that I don't jo…oh, you're already here."

_WHOOOSH!_

"Transforming into the first stage of solar evolution already, Hyoudou? I thought..h-hey!"

The intercom was suddenly cut off, leaving Leiko and Ophis to assume the outcome regarding Issei and Vali. Blinking several times, Leiko placed her hands on her hips as she hummed slightly.

"Cousin Leiko."

At the call of her name, Leiko hesitantly turned to look at Ophis.

"You did not answer my question. What is your reason for wanting to sleep next to my Issei and I?"

Leiko mentally cursed herself for neglecting that detail. She had forgotten to think of her answer to Ophis' question due to Vali's 'successful' interruption.

"Um," Leiko began, "Well, the thing is…"

She had to say _something_!

"I don't like sleeping alone!" She blurted out.

Ophis tilted her head as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You do not like to sleep alone?"

Leiko blinked again as her eyes widened.

'Is that what I said? I did say that, didn't I? Hold on! Maybe that could work!'

"T-that's right!" Leiko exclaimed before calming down, "I don't like sleeping all by myself!"

The Ouroboros Dragon raised an eyebrow.

"But you do not live here, Cousin Leiko. You live at your own residence, and therefore sleep in your own bed."

'…Crap.' Leiko thought, 'I should have thought that through. Well…what can I say? It's not like I sleep with a night-lig-'

"I didn't bring my night-light with me." She retried.

"…You may turn on the lamp when you sleep on the couch. Also, if you cannot sleep alone, you do not have to worry for your safety. My Issei and I will be in the next room."

'Damn it! Come on, stupid! _Think_ of something!' Leiko chided herself.

"It's a little hard to sleep on the couch, Ophis. Couches don't really help when people try to sleep on them."

Ophis narrowed her eyes a little.

"So the reason you wish to sleep with Issei and I…is because you are frightened of the dark, you do not want to sleep alone, and you have high sleeping expectations?"

"..."

What the hell, she'd take anything she could get.

"That's right!" Leiko said again, "So um, could I stay with you guys?"

Ophis fixed Leiko with an unreadable stare as she stood like a statue. She could tell that her mate's cousin was nervous. The Infinite Dragon God certainly didn't dislike the elder Hyoudou. In fact, besides the Great Red, she considered Leiko as an extremely close and familial person.

However, that still didn't mean she found it 'normal' for her cousin-in-law's desire to sleep in the same bed as her and Issei.

'I, shall give Cousin Leiko a test. But in order for my test to be executed, I need to contact Baka-Red.'

"I, will allow you permission, Cousin Leiko."

Leiko almost felt her heart stop as she narrowly missed Ophis' words.

"W-what?"

"You have my permission to sleep in the same bed with Issei and I. However, there is a certain test you must pass."

The elder Hyoudou couldn't believe it. All she had to do was pass a test, and she was in for the clear? Wow! That was easy.

Successful in suppressing her cry of excitement, Leiko nodded slowly to the Ouroboros Dragon.

"Ok. So what is the test?"

"Wait here, and do not move." Ophis ordered, before her body started to become transparent.

Leiko widened her eyes as she watched the Dragon God's body disappearing.

"Hey, where are you…" She attempted before her words trailed off.

* * *

**Dimensional Gap**

"You want me to do what?"

The Great Red narrowed his golden eyes at his 'sibling', who had just so rudely interrupted his awesome soaring around the Dimensional Gap. Ophis' dark-gray eyes set themselves onto the colossal frame of the Apocalypse Dragon.

"I, would like for you to listen to what I have to say. It is a test."

"A test that consists of what exactly? And who are you testing?"

Ophis flew towards the Great Red so that he could fully hear her reply.

"The test is for Cousin Leiko, Baka-Red."

At the mention of his favorite person he loved to troll, Great Red released a sharp toothy grin in glee.

"Ka ka ka ka! Well if it involves her of all people, then count me in!"

* * *

**Back with Leiko**

"Where did she go?" Leiko asked as she sat down on the couch.

The elder Hyoudou looked around curiously and placed a hand on her cheek. She sighed tiredly as she shook her head.

"I wonder what this test is." She wondered, "If it's Ophis that's making the test, then hopefully it won't be that bad."

As Leiko looked up, she frowned when she noticed something strange about the environment around her.

"What's happening to the walls?"

The walls appeared to be flowing downwards, as though the paint was falling off. Blinking several times, Leiko rubbed her eyes repeatedly. Shaking her head, Leiko widened her eyes in shock as Issei's living room began to dissolve completely.

"What the hell?!"

As she wondered what the hell was going on, Leiko shot up from her seat on the couch, and went to reach for the door. As soon as her hand reached the doorknob however, the object suddenly melted in her hands.

"What?!"

Leiko looked around in horror as the room suddenly dissolved into a location of complete darkness. The elder Hyoudou stood where she was through all of the transformation sequence.

"What is going on here?" She asked, "Ophis? Is this the test you were talking about?"

_There was no reply._

* * *

Suddenly, a small flash of light illuminated from above Leiko, allowing the girl some vision. As Leiko struggled to close her eyes from the brightness, she looked all around her to see that she was in a strange location.

She appeared to be in a small, compact room with a desk against the wall. Sitting on top of the desk was a monitor that shared the size of a small electronic tablet, and a phone. Blinking several times, Leiko looked up to see wires streamed up to the ceiling.

"What is this place?"

The elder Hyoudou looked to her left and right sides to see two large windows. On each side, there were two doors with red and white buttons mounted on them. Looking around her surroundings again, Leiko walked towards the desk hesitantly, wondering where she was.

"What am I doing here? Is this the test Ophis was telling me about? If so, then what am I supposed to do?"

_TAP TAP_

"?!" Leiko gasped in surprise.

She frantically looked around for the sudden sound, taking a few steps towards the right window.

'Where'd that noise come from?! I thought I was the only one in here!'

As she neared the window, Leiko peered at the buttons mounted on the door. The text above the white button read 'lights', while the red button text read 'open/close'.

"…Do I really want to know who's behind that window?" Leiko asked herself.

All night she had been doing the opposite of what her judgment told her. She knew she had to stop and think about what she was about to do.

"If I don't do anything, then I won't have to see whoever's tapping the window. But if I do _something_, then my paranoia might settle down."

…It's not like she had a choice in the matter.

Gathering up her confidence, Leiko took a deep breath and lifted her finger on the white button. There was no way in hell she was going to let whoever was tapping the window in.

That was just stupid.

Biting her lip, Leiko pressed the white button, and she immediately got chills as she froze in fear.

"Oh my god!"

Leiko tried to catch her breath as she clasped her chest. Standing in front of the window was a young girl with dark liquid-amber eyes. Now Leiko wouldn't have been afraid of that, except for the fact that the girl looked…downright evil.

The child was pale, that much Leiko knew. Her hair was the color of the blackest void and fashioned in long twin braids. Clad in a little black dress, the girl gazed at Leiko with an unsettling grim expression.

Leiko stared back at the girl, shocked out of her mind. As she kept her malevolent eyes on Leiko, the girl lifted her finger and tapped the window again.

_TAP TAP_

Leiko eyed the girl and looked over to the door. She quickly looked back just in time to see the girl looking towards the door as well. Of course, it was simple. The girl wanted her to open the door.

…Like hell she would!

Frowning at the source of her discomfort, Leiko shook her head. The girl's eyes narrowed at Leiko's reply, making it clear that she did not accept her answer. But it wasn't like Leiko cared about that. She was trying to stay alive!

'Wait a minute!' Leiko thought, 'Why am I so scared? She's just a little girl! So what if she looks a little maleficent? It's not like she can really hurt me.'

As Leiko looked back at the girl, her confidence immediately dissipated at the death-like stare she was receiving. Leiko found it strange that the girl wasn't even glaring at her. Her eyebrows were neither raised nor slanted, and her mouth was set in a flat line.

Getting a little creeped out from the girl's seemingly unmoving facial expression, Leiko took a few steps back and walked back to the desk. She looked down to see the electronic monitor sitting on the desk, and picked it up. At the bottom of the screen, there was the number and unit of time; sixty minutes.

"Sixty minutes?" Leiko questioned.

_RING RING_

Leiko jumped at the sound of the phone ringing, and stared at it in hesitance.

'Who's calling me?'

She half-expected it to be the girl calling her, probably in an attempt to scare her even more. Slowly looking over to the window, Leiko almost sighed in exasperation when she saw that the girl remained in her spot. There wasn't even a sign that she moved at all.

_RING RING_

Turing her attention to the phone, Leiko sighed and went to pick it up, until the ringing suddenly stopped.

_Hello, Cousin Leiko. I, am glad that you are still well._

Leiko widened her eyes at the familiar voice.

"Ophis?!" She called out in disbelief, "What is going on here? And where are you?"

_This is the test I informed you of, Cousin Leiko. In order to have permission to sleep in the same bed with myself and Issei, you must complete this task._

Looking back at the grim-faced girl, Leiko gulped down a nervous lump in her throat.

"And that task is?" She asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

_...Do you experience dreams, Cousin Leiko?_

Her nervousness slightly lessening at the random question, Leiko slowly nodded her head. She then realized that Ophis couldn't see her, and she opened her mouth to answer.

_Do not worry. I, saw you nod your head._

The elder Hyoudou frowned in a bit of annoyance, but decided to answer her anyway.

"Yes. I experience dreams, Ophis." She answered before her expression softened, "Do…do you?"

_Yes. I, have discovered that I experience dreams that occasionally seem to be…real. There are times in which I can control my dreams to a certain extent, and other times in which I cannot._

"So you've had lucid dreaming." Leiko deduced distractedly, trying to ignore the girl's stare, "Yeah, sometimes dreams can appear as reality."

_Yes. However, with the help of Baka-Red, I obtained the ability to alter my dreams into a pseudo-reality._

"…" Leiko didn't know what to say after that.

_Do you know what my dreams consist of, Cousin Leiko?_

"…I honestly don't know, Ophis." The elder Hyoudou admitted.

_My dream is to claim my mate and keep him within my home, the Dimensional Gap for eternity. That is my most prominent dream. However, I also have another dream._

Leiko bit her lip as she tried to suppress her growing curiosity. In spite of the situation, her wonder of guessing Ophis' second dream was slowly driving away her fears.

"What's your second dream, Ophis?"

_To have a female spawn with my mate._

"…"

…_Cousin Leiko?_

"I-I-I-" Leiko stuttered repeatedly, unable to even speak her already rambling thoughts.

_I, see that you are confused. I, shall explain it to you. The child that is standing behind the window that separates you and her is merely a figment that exists within my dreamscape. She is an image of what I would like the spawn between myself and Issei to look like._

Leiko blinked as she looked back at the girl, intentionally taking in her appearance. Now that she thought about it, the girl _did_ seem to share the same facial _expression_ of Ophis. The black hair and the pale skin were a dead giveaway. On the other hand, the dark liquid-amber eyes appeared to have the same shape as Issei's.

"A child between him and you?" Leiko repeated quietly.

_That is right. Now that I have told you about her, the test can begin._

"Wait, Ophis. So if she's a figment of your dreamscape, then does that mean this _place_ is part of it as well?"

_Yes. Now regarding the test. In order to complete it, you must prevent my figment spawn from entering your room. In other words, you must hold her off for an hour. The tablet that is in your hands represents your time limit._

"…Why?"

_Do not worry, Cousin Leiko. She will not harm you._

"I find that hard to believe, Ophis. She's been giving me a death glare for the past ten minutes. I don't think she blinked even once during that time."

_As I said, you will not be harmed. My figment spawn will merely attempt to scare you._

"And what happens if she _does_ get into the room?"

_Then you fail the test._

"What?! You mean once she comes in here, it's all over?"

_You wish to sleep next to my Issei and I, do you not?_

Hell yeah she did!

Gaining her composure, Leiko cleared her throat and nodded.

"…Yeah."

_Then the test shall begin. Good luck, Cousin Leiko._

And with that, the phone call ended, cutting off Ophis' voice. Taking a deep breath, Leiko took a few steps towards the window, staring at the dreamscape 'spawn' of Issei and Ophis. The girl stood like a statue, locking her dark-amber eyes with Leiko's.

Narrowing her eyes, Leiko looked down at the tablet in her hands. The timer began, the minutes counting off from sixty.

"Ok. I only have an hour. Sounds…simple enough."

In Leiko's opinion, it was worth it. As she looked up at the grim-looking girl, Leiko sighed as she smacked her lips.

"I wonder what Ise-itoko and that Vali guy are doing." She muttered to herself.

"Pa…pa?"

Leiko widened her eyes in surprise as she saw the girl's expression change. Both her dark-amber eyes and lips twitched slightly as her face twisted, giving Leiko the impression that the girl was feeling uncomfortable. Leiko looked on in confusion as the girl's eyes blinked repeatedly, and the latter pulled her lips to reveal an awkward smile. Very slowly, the girl finally formed a genuine smile that might have looked sweet if she was someone else.

"You know my Papa?" The girl asked in an soft voice.

In spite of the girl's smile being genuine, her eyes were also wide-open, almost mischievously. Leiko found it honestly off-putting.

'Well…even if she is a figment of what Ophis wants her and Issei's child to look like, I guess she can't be that bad. It's almost like babysitting.'

The elder Hyuoudou sighed as she looked down at the tablet again.

"Fifty-eight minutes left." She read, "So this is what it's like to be in Ophis' mind.'

* * *

**Ugh. Hey guys, WarriorMan199456 here. **

**Man****. I've been really, really busy with family life and college that the mood to write has honestly been wearing off. Honest to god, I truly still love Fanfiction. It's just that life can get very overbearing.**

**Anyway, enough about me. This chapter was thought upon while I was reading about the powers and abilities of Great Red and Ophis. I also thought about what 'Rise of the Solar God' Ophis' dreams were, and what they emphasized. And then I thought...why not use that with Leiko?**

**It probably sounds a little too weird, but I think I did good on this chapter. And just so you know, as it says in the story, Leiko is now in Ophis' dreamscape. So the room she is in, along with the girl who's a figment of what Ophis states to be her and Issei's spawn is _not_ real. They are Ophis' desires and dreams within her dreamscape, so Leiko is going through a psuedo-simulation of sorts.**

**And Ophis' rules regarding the test? Because Great Red's a major troll. And yes, I deliberately based it on Five Nights At Freddy's.**

** And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the other stories yet, especially Rise of the Solar God. It's just that I'm actually writing a long, long chapter for the next update of that story, and it's been taking a big toll on me. So this chapter was yet _another _attempt to get me back on this site. Ugh, I pray that it does work.**

**Anyway, that's it for me. Read &amp; Review, and I hope to catch you guys again.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ophis' Dreamscape**

"Do you know _my_ Papa?"

Leiko didn't miss the way the young girl had phrased her sentence.

'Ok, _now_ I'm sure she takes after her mother more instead of Ise-itoko.'

The elder Hyoudou nervously looked over to the 'daughter' of Issei and Ophis. The girl was still smiling at her with that sweet yet simultaneous creepy grin. Leiko wondered if just mentioning Issei was probably the reason the girl smiled. After all, this was Ophis' subconscious she was trapped in, so it shouldn't have been all that surprising.

Speaking of being trapped, Leiko looked down at the tablet clasped in her hands, her forest-green eyes narrowing at the slowing time.

"4:12? It's only been ten minutes?" Leiko said in disappointment as she looked back to the girl, "And she's still grinning at me. She hasn't blinked even once."

Much like Ophis, the girl had yet to blink while maintaining her facial expression. As Leiko sighed, she glanced around the small compact room, wondering what she could do to clear the boredom.

All she had to do was prevent the girl from coming into the room. Plus, Ophis promised the child wouldn't bring Leiko any harm if something unfortunate were to happen. That smile though…it was downright unsettling.

As the elder Hyoudou sighed in tiredness, she began to close her eyes. Before falling into a peaceful nap, Leiko noticed that the girl remained in her spot. So naturally, Leiko assumed her test would be easy as pie. With that peaceful state of mind, Leiko happily fell into her nap.

As she watched Leiko close her eyes, the girl's expression immediately regressed to its cold and malevolent stare. Suddenly, a colorless aura manifested around her body, unbeknownst to the sleeping Leiko.

* * *

**Thirty Minutes Later**

_TAP TAP_

For a while, the consistent tapping sound on the window did nothing to disturb Leiko's nap. The elder Hyoudou had been sleeping for almost thirty minutes, oblivious to the darkness surrounding the compact room.

_TAP TAP_

Leiko still didn't move, deep within her sleep. Amazingly, her hands maintained their tight grip on her electronic tablet, preventing her from dropping it. Her chest rose up and down slightly as she let out soft breaths. Nothing could interrupt her beauty sleep for the time being.

_BANG!_

"Gah?!"

Leiko jumped in surprise at the loud noise, and she sat up from her seat quickly. She turned her head towards the window, only to find that the lights were off. In the back of her mind, Leiko hoped that the little girl had moved from her spot.

Looking down at the tablet, she frowned and peered closer at the time on the device.

"What? It's 4:42?" She exclaimed in disbelief, "I've been asleep for that long? Is time fast going or something?"

Not that she was complaining of course. In just eighteen minutes, she would be close to sleeping in the same bed with her Ise-itoko and Ophis!

…Wow that sounded so much healthier in her head.

The elder Hyoudou shook her head as she narrowed her eyes and looked towards the window.

'Why did that little girl have to wake me up at a time like this? Doesn't she know I'm not supposed to let her inside this room?'

As she tilted her head slightly, Leiko blinked as she thought of something. Her eyes softened, and she sighed.

"Wait, what am I saying? She's just a child, so she probably doesn't know what's going on here. But she's also a part of Ophis' dreamscape. So wouldn't that mean…she knows what her purpose is? Or is Ophis 'subconsciously' giving her free will? God, this is so confusing."

Leiko shook her head and walked towards the window, making sure to take cautious steps. Placing her finger on the white button, Leiko watched the lights illuminate, and she gasped as she backed away quickly.

"Oh my god!"

Standing in front of the window that separated her and Leiko, was no longer the girl. Instead it was a being that retained the facial and physical characteristics of the young child. Except that the figure appeared to be a bit…older.

"Little girl?" Leiko began hesitantly, "Is that you?"

"I'm not little anymore, am I?"

As much as Leiko tried to rationalize the severity of the situation, it was unsuccessful. The girl that stood in front of the window had taken a more adult appearance. Her hair still carried the black ink-color, and retained the fashioned style of twin braids. The woman's body was very thin with faint but noticeable womanly curves.

Releasing a breath she forgot she was suppressing, Leiko rubbed her head gently, trying to figure the person in front of the window.

"What's…?" She began, "What's your name?"

Leiko didn't even know why she asked her that. It was just the only thing that popped into her head.

The woman's eyes narrowed just a little bit.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well I mean you're my 'first cousin once removed'." Leiko stated with air quotes, "And you're a manifestation within Ophis' dreamscape, so you already know who I am. I think it's fair that I know what your name is."

It wasn't as though she was asking just for the sake of asking. Leiko was genuinely curious on Ophis' thoughts regarding the name of her 'spawn'.

The woman stood still for a moment, before she placed her hands behind her back.

"Solaris."

"...Solaris?"

"You can hear, can't you?" Solaris asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Ignoring the woman's deadpan question, Leiko blinked as she furrowed her eyebrows.

'Solaris? Is that a play on the word Solar and the last two letters in Ophis' name? Or am I just thinking too much?'

Leiko looked back up at the woman in the eyes, unable to ignore her gaze. Amber-colored eyes that possessed a much darker shade gazed into Leiko's forest-green eyes. The elder Hyoudou was too shocked to even look away. The woman's eyes were magnetizing, intense, and much sharper compared to her child incarnation.

"You seem frightened of me, Cousin Leiko," The woman started, her voice deeper and deceptively cool, "You should be."

"…What?" Leiko asked after finally regaining her words.

The transformed 'daughter' of Issei and Ophis moved closer to the window, her face inches away from the glass. She lifted her hand and palmed the glass loudly, startling Leiko. Gulping down a nervous lump in her throat, Leiko tried to gather more of her words.

"Why should I be frightened of you? Ophis said you wouldn't harm me."

"Did she? And you believe the purpose of her comment was to reduce the level of your anxiety?" The woman asked.

Leiko blinked several times in confusion as one thing came to her mind.

"Was it not supposed to?"

The 'spawn' of the Ouroboros Dragon tilted her head slightly as she kept her gaze on the elder Hyoudou. Leiko looked around nervously as she waited for the woman's reply.

"Tell me," Solaris began, "Do you really think you can prevent me from entering your room?"

"And what makes you think I can't?" Leiko responded with dwindling confidence.

"Look down at the tablet." The woman responded, "My guess is that you've been looking at the time instead of the most important factor of your test."

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Leiko did as she was told, and widened her eyes in shock. Located at the bottom of the screen was the percent symbol, the character flashing on and off.

"What is this? I don't remember seeing a percentage symbol on this thing! And it's at ten percent?!"

"The time is now 4:46." Solaris informed her, "There is one more rule 'Mother' neglected to inform you about."

"What?" Leiko asked in disbelief.

Taking Leiko's question as a sign to continue, Solaris pushed on.

"Within this dreamscape, the doors, lights, and the tablet in your hands all share a correlation."

"What do you mean?"

"When you turn on the lights or open the doors, the battery life of the tablet decreases rapidly. Once the tablet's battery life decreases to zero percent, you will automatically lose."

"Wait, hold on. That doesn't make any sense. Are you saying that if the tablet runs out of power, then the doors will just automatically open?"

"Which would allow me to enter your room and manipulate any possible victory you could have in disarray? Yes."

'What kind of stupid rule is that? That sounds like something Great Red would make up just to troll me! At the very least, it's such a stupid cop-out!'

"You only have fourteen minutes left. You also have a remainder of eight percent left on the tablet." Solaris reminded Leiko.

"Oh, come on!" Leiko groaned.

"Did you genuinely believe it would be that easy?" Solaris asked, "A test is not without its difficulties."

Leiko's eyes widened as she stared at the 'daughter' of Issei and Ophis, trying her damnedest not to overreact to the situation she was thrust upon. As she gulped down a nervous lump in her throat, Leiko hesitantly looked back to Solaris.

"Would it be too much if I could convince you _not_ to come in here?"

Solaris only gave her a blank stare.

* * *

**Kuoh Academy**

It was now 4:50 a.m.

The doors of Kuoh Academy were still closed at this time, so there was no one to witness the events being transpired. A figure clad in silver Dragon Armor with blue jewels sped across from the school of Kuoh Academy.

Vali Lucifer prided himself on being a competent and powerful battle-maniac. On a whim he would pick an opponent he was interested in, attempt to goad him or her into fighting him, and that would be it.

It should have been very simple.

'Geez, it's not like I said I was going to kill her.'

_(Tell me, Vali. Did you really think Issei Hyoudou was going to react positively to what you said to him?)_

Unfortunately, he had made the mistake of goading Issei Hyoudou into battling him in the most predictable way possible. Due to the Solar God's temper, it didn't take a lot to anger him. However, even there were stupid ways to anger Issei.

Threatening Ophis was one way, which would follow with Issei glaring at the attacker before either destroying them himself, or letting Ophis do the job. If anyone had tried to threaten Great Red, Issei would just stare blankly at the attacker and let the Apocalypse Dragon finish the job.

However…if someone were to attack, threaten, or bring any sort of harm to Leiko, Issei would inevitably brutalize them. He would destroy them without a second thought. No hesitance, no faltering, and especially no doubt. He would make them regret ever doing whatever they said or intended to do to Leiko, and make sure to kill them before they even got the chance to.

Aside from Ophis and Great Red, Vali knew that Leiko essentially served as the embodiment of Issei's _Morality Chain_. Then again, Vali also knew that his rival didn't dawn upon the concept of morality, but that was beside the point.

Leiko was partially the reason Issei hadn't completely gone over the edge as he should have when he first came in contact with the supernatural. If Leiko had never come in contact with Issei, the latter probably would have been a more wrathful person.

It puzzled the host of the Vanishing Dragon on how a human like Leiko wielded so much influence on a God. Not to mention how much affection the elder Hyoudou harbored for the aforementioned Issei.

But now Vali was getting himself sidetracked.

_(Well, Vali. You really screwed the pooch on this one.)_

'Quiet, Albion. And don't say that again. That whole phrase just sounded wrong coming out of your mouth.'

The descendant of Lucifer knew that Issei in his base form alone was on par with him. Why he opted to transform at all only confused Vali.

But that didn't mean Vali was frightened of him. It was Issei Hyoudou for pete's sake. His rival wouldn't kill him. Vali knew that Issei wasn't as monstrous as Yoru, or even as spiteful as Izanami-no-Mikoto.

_(Yes. Be thankful that Ddraig's host isn't anything like the Moon God, or his yandere grandmother.)_

'Ok. First it was the Great Red commenting about that, and now you? Would you stop saying that? Hyoudou's grandmother isn't a _yandere_. That's like saying Rizevim was a kind grandfather who had no desire to destroy me.'

_(Well, before Ddriag's host purified her from the effects of Yomi, Izanami was just as vicious as Rizevim. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you and Issei Hyoudou had similar troubles with family. Especially with the grandparents.)_

'Oh please, Albion. My grandfather forced my father to abandon me and ended up killing him anyway. Like Hyoudou's situation could even top that.'

_(Issei Hyoudou's grandfather abandoned his grandmother, trapping her in Yomi for all eternity. And that resulted in the personality of Izanami-no-Mikoto degrading to that of a vengeful, obsessive, and possessive grandmother.)_

'…'

_(And through a series of unfortunate events that would be too long to describe, Izanami-no-Mikoto melded her consciousness with that of the literal supernatural world. She then used that power to stalk Issei Hyoudou for seventeen years.)_

'Yes, we all know the story.'

_(And yet you deny that the Shinto Goddess isn't a yandere.)_

'Listen you-'

"Vali!"

Vali looked back to see Issei Hyoudou charging towards him in a great burst of speed. The Solar God was enveloped in a golden sphere, a testament to the first evolution of his solar power. In spite of the form being the weakest out of all his transformations, the countless battles he had been forced into no doubt boosted his strength to exponential levels.

Suddenly, the golden shield that enveloped Issei started to morph into a strange shape. The solar energy flowed around the Solar God, enlarging into a crimson translucent form of the Red Dragon Emperor.

Vali widened his eyes at Issei's display of power.

'What's this?' He questioned to himself, 'I didn't know he had _that _ability. Is that his version of Juggernaut Drive or something? Perhaps I should have goaded Issei Hyoudou in a different way.'

_(...Really, Vali?)_

'Your sarcasm isn't appreciated, Albion.'

_(You of all people should know how Ddraig's host is going to react whenever someone threatens to harm his cousin.)_

'I only said I was going to kidnap her.' Vali responded in his mind-link with Albion, 'Not kill her.'

_(…That's much better?)_

**Read &amp; Review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Dimensional Gap**

"Baka-Red. Cousin Leiko was correct when she referred to you as a troll."

"Oh please. I'm not a troll. I'm just having a little fun."

Ophis rolled her eyes as she looked at the smug smirk on Great Red's face.

"I, only intended to give Cousin Leiko a simple test. You did not have to add the percentage symbol on her tablet. Especially at the last minute."

"You're too soft, Ouroboros. Come on, you have to give her some tough love once in a while."

"Tough love?" Ophis repeated as she raised a cool eyebrow, "Your mind is strange."

"And the world you made me conjure up in that simulation isn't strange?" Great Red quipped, "And while we're on the subject, what's with the image of your 'daughter'? Don't tell me you've been thinking-"

"Yes, Baka-Red," Ophis interrupted with a scowl, "I, have been thinking of procreating with my mate."

Great Red had to give himself credit for not dropping his jaw in surprise. He didn't expect Ophis to say that out loud. Sure, she was deatched enough to say some pretty embarrassing things, but not this bad.

'The kid sure is lucky to have someone like Ophis.'

"So you've been having wet dreams." Great Red deduced rather bluntly, "I didn't even know you were capable of that."

_SLAP!_

"What the hell was that for?!"

Ophis was now sporting a crimson blush that could have put Leiko's to shame. Her dark-gray eyes were narrowed and indignant, giving the Apocalypse Dragon a full-blown glare.

"Do not say something so lightly, Baka-Red." She chided, "I, am in the form of a female, so of course I am able to experience those."

"All right, damn! But still, what made you think of the image of your 'daughter'? It's not like you're…"

Then he stopped. The Apocalypse Dragon closed his mouth as he narrowed his golden eyes. He moved his head towards Ophis, peering at her intensely. Ophis maintained her emotionless yet annoyed stare as she tilted her head.

"Ophis…" Great Red began hesitantly, "Are you pregn-"

"No, Baka-Red. I, am not carrying a spawn." Ophis answered with a roll of her eyes.

Great Red didn't miss the almost exasperated tone Ophis used in her words. As much as he was amused by Ophis' occasional bouts of emotion, Great Red had more pressing matters to think about.

"Ok…but still. I have to know. What brought about this thought? Were you thinking of having children with the kid someday?"

Ophis' expression softened as soon as the Apocalypse Dragon finished his question. Her blush lessened while she placed her hands to the side.

"Yes," She answered quietly, "As I stated before, I was pondering on having a spawn with my Issei. A female spawn is something I would prefer. I, have thought about it for some time."

"Humph." Great Red huffed, "So have you and Issei tried anything?"

"No. My Issei is still too young. He is in the eighteenth year of his life, while I have existed since the beginning of time."

Great Red lost his serious expression as he sent Ophis a smug smirk.

"What, because you're a super cougar, right?"

"_Be _silent, Baka-Red." Ophis warned, "Do not refer to me as a super cougar again."

"Why? You just said you were older than Issei. Think about it. When the Omniversal Entity brought the concept of time into existence, you manifested into the world. Compare that time to now, and tell me you're not a cougar."

"Now I know how Cousin Leiko feels," Ophis started with a pout. "I, do not like talking to you, Baka-Red."

"Oh, don't lie to me. But seriously, Ophis," Great Red stated before adopting a serious face, "Have you genuinely pondered over this for a while?"

"Yes," Ophis admitted, "For a long time, I have thought about it. But my Issei is too young at the moment."

"...If that's the case, then why did you make me conjure up an image for Leiko's test?"

"What do you mean?" Ophis asked with another tilt of her head.

"I'm the Dragon of Illusions and Dreams, Ophis. Much like the Omniversal Entity, I can bring people's thoughts or dreams and turn them into reality. It's my specialty."

"I, get what you are saying." Ophis replied, "But I want my union with my Issei and the result to be _genuine_."

"…Ah."

"…Baka-Red," The Infinite Dragon God began, her tone noticeably softer and familial, "Do you know where my Issei is?"

Great Red rose his head in response to Ophis' change in subject, but he replied casually nonetheless.

"Still chasing after Vali," He replied nonchalantly, "What do you expect when someone threatens one of the people you consider to be precious? I mean, what would you do if someone threatened to harm Issei?"

"Eliminate them." Ophis stated almost robotically and mechanically, "Their entire existence would be eradicated into the nothingness of the void."

"…"

'Damn. Even I have to admit that was unsettling just hearing it from her.' Great Red noted to himself.

"I, know exactly how my Issei feels. Cousin Leiko is a being who is very important to him. She is the one that allows my Issei's sanity to remain intact, and keeps it in check."

"So what are you saying?"

"…She keeps my beloved Issei sane."

"And you don't?" Great Red quipped.

"I, never said I did not." Ophis countered, "But Cousin Leiko has interacted with my Issei longer than I have. Even though I claimed Issei when he was in the sixth year of his life, that does not mean I have known him as long as she has."

"Does that make you jealous?"

The True Red Dragon God Emperor knew that he of all entities should have been aware of Ophis' jealousy and possessive nature regarding Issei Hyoudou. Granted, in times of peace, the Ouroboros Dragon had mellowed out for a while. That didn't mean she wasn't hesitant to verbally claim that Issei was hers.

"No, I am not jealous." She answered, "I, have to come to regard Cousin Leiko as a close and familial person. A being in which I can genuinely place her in the category of 'family'."

"Humph," Great Red huffed again, "Leiko doesn't know how lucky she is. Though, her definition of luck is different from ours."

Ophis' eyes morphed into a calculating gaze as she looked up at the Apocalypse Dragon.

"Back to our original conversation, Baka-Red." Ophis stated, her soft monotone hardening, "Cousin Leiko has only ten minutes left, along with six percent on the tablet, until the test is over. If she fails, then Solaris will give her a jump scare, and she will not be able to sleep with my Issei and I in our bed."

"…Wait, what?"

"What?"

"That's what this is about? Because Leiko finally had the ovaries to woman up and delve into her complex tendencies?"

Ophis rolled her eyes again, ignoring Great Red's incredulous tone.

"Do not be foolish, Baka-Red."

"I'm just saying…"

Great Red huffed and looked all around the Dimensional Gap, suppressing the urge to soar around the bright world.

"So…Solaris." Great Red enunciated, "What made you think of that name?"

Much to his amusement, Ophis offered a shrug.

"My Issei is a solar deity. The meaning of the name is 'Of the Sun'. In spite of my Issei being a Shinto god, the name Solaris is derived from Greek Mythology. Although the origin of the name is not the reason I chose it."

"So why?"

"Amaterasu refers to my Issei as her 'little Sun'."

"Ah. So when Solaris is born, then she's going to be like _your_ 'little Sun'."

"…Yes."

* * *

**Kuoh Academy**

Vali looked back as he spotted Issei flying after him. The Solar God was cloaked in the Ddraig-shaped shield, the Welsh Dragon's crimson glow radiating off of him. While in his transformed state, Issei put out his left hand, allowing the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to manifest.

Feeling much thankful that he was shielded by the silver armor of his Sacred Gear, Vali gritted his teeth as Issei head butted him.

"Oof!"

Vali flew back as Issei soared after him, the latter lifting his fist up. Recovering quickly, Vali caught his rival's fist, pushing him back slightly.

"Damn it, rival! Calm down! You can't just go berserk whenever someone threatens your cousin!"

Issei's eyes constricted as his solar power flared out wildly. As Vali looked back again, his blue eyes widened as he watched Issei's right eye suddenly melt away.

'What on Earth?'

_(His right eye! It's disintegrating!)_

'Why is it doing that? Hyoudou told me that after Izanami ripped it out of its socket; he substituted the organ with the Eye of Medusa. Then when the era of peace came about, he asked Great Red to place a seal on it so he couldn't petrify anyone.'

_(If that is the case, then why are his sockets visible? Shouldn't the Eye of Medusa have manifested by now?)_

Keeping his eyes on his rival for a few moments, Vali widened his eyes further.

'No. He's not even planning to use Medusa's Eye on me. He's transforming!'

"VALIIIIIIIIII!" Issei bellowed as his solar energy flared off violently.

As soon as the fluids of Issei's right eye vanished, the crimson aura of Ddraig erupted, enveloping the Solar God into a blaze of intense bright solar energy. Vali couldn't help but shake in uncertainty as he felt the overwhelming rage of Issei flowing throughout Kuoh Academy.

Seconds later the illuminated solar energy cleared, revealing a transformed Issei.

_(What's this? I don't remember this form of Ddraig's host. He has the first and final evolution of his solar transformation. Is this another transformation of his?)_

'Could be.' Vali replied, 'This form is stronger than his first transformation, but nowhere near as strong as his Super Solar God state. Maybe it's an in-between transformation, in which he activates it when his anger overwhelms him.'

(Or a fail-safe transformation.)

'Fail-safe?'

The intense solar energy output appeared to be powerful enough to consume Issei's flesh, leaving only a super-heated skull. Embedded on the skull were two long forward-pointing horns with black strips extending from their center towards the tips. Strangely enough, the white-buttoned shirt, black jean jacket, blue jeans, and black boots remained untouched. In spite of the powerful solar energy flowing around Issei, his clothes were still fresh and weren't burnt.

_(So, Vali. What should we call this transformation? First we had Super Solar Issei, Hell-Fire Issei, Death-Phoenix/Beserker Issei, and last but not least, Super Solar God Issei.)_

'What are you getting at, Albion?' Vali distractedly replied.

He couldn't deny that Issei's 'fail-safe' transformation wasn't something to joke about.

_(My original question, Vali. What should we call this transformation?)_

Vali successfully adopted a blank expression as he rolled his eyes.

"_Dokuro_-Issei." He deadpanned.

_(Skull-Issei? That's not really much of a alias.)_

'It doesn't matter, Albion. It's still the same Issei Hyoudou.'

_RAHHHHHHHH!_

Lifting the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi up, the transformed Issei sped towards Vali. He violently brought the sword down upon Vali's armor, causing it to crack slightly. The strong impact caused Vali to crash onto the ground, with Issei following him close behind. Narrowing his eyes within his armor, Vali got up and placed his hand on Issei's skull.

_(Divi-!)_

_{Wait, Albion! Stop your host!}_

Vali widened his eyes as he felt Albion's power cancel.

_(What?!)_

_GYAHHHHHH!_

"Guh?!"

Issei sent a direct slash across Vali's armor, causing it to break completely. The attack left Vali completely defenseless, leaving only the Divine Dividing wings on his back. Sneering at Issei, Vali huffed and opened the mind-link between him and Albion.

"What are you doing, Albion?"

_{That was a stupid thing you said to my host, Vali. You can't joke about threatening the only who keeps him sane.}_

Vali scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

"For the last time, it's not like I said I was going to kill her! Hyoudou is just overreacting!"

_{Look. Believe it or not, my host's anger is…a bit much but also justified.}_

"And how do you work that out?"

_{When my host fought against Amenominakanushi, the Shinto Kami trapped Issei into an illusion. An illusion that consisted of an image of Leiko being slain by streams of energy. Blood seeped out from Leiko's body while my host watched.}_

"I cannot believe I have to say this again! I only threatened to kidnap Leiko!"

_{You don't get it, Vali! It doesn't matter if you said you weren't going to kill Leiko Hyoudou or not! My host was severely traumatized! Think about it! Riser Phenex, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, and Siegfreid all threatened Leiko Hyoudou. And what happened to them?}_

"…"

_{He killed Riser Phenex, destroyed Susanoo, and almost killed Siegfreid before you captured him. Do you understand, Vali Lucifer? The presence of Leiko Hyoudou keeps my host sane.}_

The host of the Vanishing Dragon scoffed again.

"All right, I get it!" He shouted.

Letting out another bellow, Issei raised the Kusanagi sword up in the air, the shine of the blade apparent. Vali clicked his tongue as he looked Issei in the eyes. The growls Issei uttered only heightened the tension.

Taking a deep breath, Vali crossed his arms and glared at Issei.

"Look Hyoudou, I'm sorry, all right? I won't threaten to kidnap your cousin again!"

Much to the host of the Vanishing Dragon's surprise, the transformed Issei suddenly stopped in his tracks. Vali widened his eyes in surprise as he stared at the Solar God.

"…Hyoudou?" Vali spoke hesitantly.

_(…Is that all it took to get your host to calm down, Ddraig? An apology?)_

_{Be grateful, Albion. If it had been anyone else, my host would have already eradicated them. Plus, what is the chance of anyone actually apologizing to him for threatening his cousin?}_

"Okay, so he stopped," Vali began, "What do I do now?"

_{Cut off his horn.}_

"…That's it?"

"Don't even think about it, Vali." A voice suddenly replied, its tone familiar yet distorted.

Vali turned his attention to Issei, whose entire body trembled. Clenching his fists, Issei lowered the Kusanagi in his left hand, and gripped his horn with his right hand. Grunting roughly, Issei placed more pressure on his horn, breaking it off completely.

Suddenly, a pool of solar energy manifested around him and covered him entirely. Vali covered his eyes from the blinding light, waiting for it to pass. As the lights quickly faded, Issei in his base form stood silently, sending a serious look directed at Vali.

"Don't do that again, Vali." He said solemnly.

"…Nice to have you back, Hyoudou."

* * *

**Ophis' Dreamscape**

Leiko stood in her spot frantically, looking down at the tablet.

"4:54?! And with only four percent left?! Are you freaking kidding me right now?!"

In hindsight, Leiko probably should have been less frantic. In fact, she shouldn't have been overreacting at all. If the situation was different, any other person would have been more frightened of the fact that the creepy child would eventually give them a jump scare.

But Leiko could deal with all that. She'd been kidnapped and threatened many times before. At this point, she could take the jump scare like a champ. However, she wasn't worried about that. All she wanted to do was sleep in the same bed with her 'Ise-itoko' and Ophis.

What Leiko failed to comprehend was that her cousin complex tendencies were starting to overlap her common sense. If her tendencies hadn't crossed over her mind, she probably would have been sane enough to not overreact.

Long story short, Leiko was overreacting for the wrong reasons.

Not really paying attention, Leiko looked down at the tablet, and she felt her heart stop.

"Are you kidding me?! 4:56?! Why is this happening to me?! What did I do to deserve this?!"

_RUMBLE_

The elder Hyoudou widened her eyes as she felt her stomach growl. Immediately after, her face contorted into an expression of pain.

"Damn." She cursed, "Of all the times to…damn it!"

Now she had to go to the bathroom! Unfortunately for her, there was obviously no bathroom within Ophis' dreamscape. Maybe she could ask out loud and Ophis would probably hear her.

"Hey, Ophis?"

…

No response. What the hell, she would give it another shot.

"Ophis, please if you can hear me, I really need to go to the bathroom! Could you…summon a bathroom near my vicinity? I can't hold it!"

On cue, a bright light manifested in front of the window on Leiko's left side. The elder Hyoudou widened her eyes as she walked over, watching the light morph into a door with the female depiction sign. Feeling a wave of happiness overtake her, Leiko went to press the red button so she could open the door.

"Wait a minute."

Leiko quickly moved her hand away, and looked around the room Ophis put her in.

"Ophis never gave me a key," She deduced, "So if I walk out of here, then I have no chance of coming back in. And if I leave the door open while I'm in the bathroom, then Solaris could come in. God damn it, there's always a hitch."

Leiko huffed as she tapped her foot repeatedly. With a sigh, she looked towards the window, staring almost longingly at the bathroom.

"Ophis said Solaris wouldn't harm me. So I'll still be safe if I go out there. But then again, she looked downright evil in both of her forms. At least her child self was less ominous. That adult form is just terrifying."

Shaking her head to calm her nerves, Leiko took a deep breath and readied herself. Quickly pressing the red button, Leiko sprinted through as the door opened. Leiko took another breather and looked around to make sure Solaris was nowhere near her. Her current problem solved, Leiko reached her arm into the room and pressed the red button again. She retracted her arm the moment the door barreled down to the ground.

Feeling the rush of adrenaline in her body, Leiko turned around to run towards the bathroom. Until…

"Boo."

"AHH!"

The adult form of Solaris' piercing stare almost made Leiko lose control of her bladder. Her dark-amber eyes were unsettling due to the unwavering constancy. Leiko hated to admit it; but not even the Shinigami's stare frightened her as much as Solaris' did.

Solaris looked as though she were going to devour and consume her, her expression nothing like Issei or even Ophis'. Tilting her head, Solaris' eyes seemed to widen in intensity as she locked a predatory gaze on her 'first cousin once removed'.

"Taking a bathroom break, Cousin Leiko?"

Leiko's mouth quivered as she tried to evade Solaris' piercing stare. Gulping down a nervous lump in her throat, Leiko attempted to move past the woman.

"Y-yes, Solaris. I need to go. So could you please-"

"Poke." Solaris said in a monotone voice.

Leiko suddenly felt a burning pain on the side of her neck, and then…complete darkness covered her sight.

* * *

**Ten Minutes Later**

"Wake _uuuuuup_, Cousin Leiko." A sweet voice rang out.

Forest-green eyes fluttered up and down, and they opened wide. Leiko groaned as she looked around her surroundings. She moved her arms, and her eyes widened further as she found that she couldn't move.

"What happened? What's going on?"

A light suddenly flashed on, the illumination revealing the child form of Solaris. Her amber eyes, compared to her adult form, were less menacing and more 'innocent'. Leiko wondered if innocent was even the right word to describe her.

Solaris' body was glowing; quite literally in fact.

As Leiko's eyes adjusted towards the light, she looked down and immediately wished she hadn't. She found that she was sitting in a chair with straps biding her hands to the handles. Leiko's distress increased as she found that her feet were strapped down as well.

"The hell?!" She exclaimed, "Why am I strapped down?!"

"I want to play a game." Solaris answered quietly.

Shaking her head, Leiko forced herself to look up at her 'first cousin once removed'.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Ten minutes." Solaris replied.

"Ten minutes?!" Leiko shouted in surprise, "Then that means…the test is over! And neither of us are in the room! So that means…"

In spite of the situation, Leiko allowed herself a wide and cheerful smile.

"I did it! I passed! I passed!"

Solaris tilted her head, as though confused by Leiko's statement. Then suddenly, she unveiled the genuine smile that Leiko found creepy and adorable at the same time. It would have been much creepier if Solaris' adult incarnation ever cracked a smile.

Leiko's confidence slowly dissolved the moment she saw Solaris smile.

"W-why are you smiling?"

"_Youuuu loooost_." Solaris rang, her child-like voice adding to Leiko's nervousness.

"What?!" Leiko almost screamed, "What do you mean I lost? Neither of us are in the room! The rule was that I had to prevent you entering the same room I was in!"

Solaris' smile widened, as well as her eyes, intentionally trying to unnerve Leiko even more. Her body started to glow brighter, the light's shine surrounding her and Leiko. Leiko hesitantly looked around, and she _really really_ wished she hadn't.

"No way…no way!"

She was back in the room! She immediately recognized the doors and windows. The small compact room Ophis had placed her in; the room that formerly kept her safe from Solaris. Leiko felt her jaw drop as she looked down to see the tablet in _Solaris'_ hands.

"How did you get the tablet?" Leiko asked frantically, "Wait! _How did you get even inside the room?!_ I closed the door after I left!"

Solaris moved out of Leiko's line of sight, revealing a crater-sized hole through the door. Leiko's eyes remained wide as she glanced over to Solaris.

"Wh-where did that come from?"

Once again, in hindsight, she should have known that the 'daughter' of Issei and Ophis was going to possess some degree of supernatural abilities. After all, a union of the Ouroboros Dragon and the Solar God was liable to bring about a formidable Dragon/Shinto Deity hybrid. It certainly wasn't going to be a weak spawn.

"I did that." Solaris answered her, "After Cousin Leiko fell asleep, I made the door go away and put you in here."

'Made the door go away? She can't be that childish!'

"But…but it was almost over! I was close!"

Solaris finally lost her smile as she shook her head.

"Cousin Leiko had to go potty. She should have waited a while longer, and she would have won."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Leiko repeated, "If you could 'make the door go away', why didn't you do it the moment you saw me?"

She had to know! Just because she was a child, Solaris couldn't have been that much of a troll.

Lifting her shoulders into a shrug, Solaris returned her creepy smile.

"I didn't want to."

Strangely, Leiko felt that she should have been mad at the child. But now...the test was over. There was nothing she could do about it.

Leiko didn't feel anything at the moment. It was as though the lack of prolonged tension had finally left the atmosphere, and she felt herself relaxing at the calmness.

The elder Hyoudou felt that her expression confused Solaris, as the latter's smile suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a look of confusion.

"Cousin Leiko…isn't angry." Solaris stated, her voice betraying her mild surprise.

The girl seemed genuinely befuddled by Leiko's calmness, obviously expecting a different reaction. Leiko, to her own surprise, flashed her 'first cousin once removed' a gentle smile.

Solaris' response was to clutch the tablet closer to her and tilt her head.

"Why is Cousin Leiko smiling?" She asked, her voice much softer and almost innocent.

"…Because Cousin Leiko has finally gained a bit of her common sense back."

Solaris tilted her head again, unsure of what to do, while Leiko smiled wider.

"What did you think was going to happen, Solaris?" Leiko softly asked in curiosity.

As she went through the questions in her mind, Leiko concluded that she wouldn't get to sleep in the same bed with Issei and Ophis. But at this point, she was actually okay with that. Leiko didn't know why, but she was starting to find the test silly.

Boy did her sanity slip when she delved into her cousin complex tendencies.

Solaris looked genuinely unsure of herself, her child state making it more noticeable. She looked up at Leiko, ready to speak.

"M-"

"Leiko-san?"

Both Leiko and Solaris widened their eyes and turned to see a familiar being. He was dressed in a white-buttoned shirt, black jean jacket, blue jeans, and black boots. The brown hair and matching colored eyes were a dead giveaway, bringing Leiko a sense of relief, and Solaris a sense of something strange.

"Ise-itoko!"

Issei blinked several times as he stood in front of the crater-sized hole. The Solar God raised an eyebrow at the sight of a trapped Leiko, and a girl who could have passed off of being a 'lovechild' of him and Ophis. With an unexpected smile, Issei placed his hands in his pockets.

"So Ophis put you in her 'Inner World' huh?"

As much as Leiko was glad to see her younger cousin (and the fact that he was much calmer), she paused at his words.

"You know about this world?"

"Yeah, I do." He replied, "I've known about it since my body was remade by Ophis and Great Red. But with everything going on at the time, I didn't really have a lot of free time to visit this world."

"…So does that mean you know who-" Leiko started, before being interrupted by the soft voice of Solaris.

"Pa…pa?" The Shinto Deity/Dragon hybrid quietly uttered.

Much to Leiko's surprise, Issei walked over to the girl and placed his hand on top of her head, rubbing it gently.

"Hey, Sol-chan." Issei said warmly.

Leiko could only blink in a combination of surprise and astonishment.

"Ise-itoko," She began, "Do you know what's going on here?"

"Yeah, I know about the test, Leiko-san." Issei answered casually.

"…So what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? You passed the test."

"…What?"

"Yeah. You passed so I came to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me? For what?"

Issei flashed his older cousin a cheerful smile.

"For passing the real test, Leiko-san."

Leiko still didn't get it. Why was her Ise-itoko being so cryptic?

"What was the real test, Ise-itoko?"

"To see if you were qualified enough to babysit Sol-chan in a simulation!"

"…"

"…"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**Dimensional Gap**

"Ku ku ku ku. Did you hear that, Ophis?" Great Red chuckled in amusement.

"Yes. I, heard the scream of Cousin Leiko." Ophis monotoned.

"Ahhh…I love trolling the hell out of her. The best part is that I didn't think the kid had it in him. You included, Ophis."

"My Issei and I did not troll Cousin Leiko. We only gave her a test so misleading that she would not think to question it."

"…Still trolling."

"Shut up, Baka-Red."

**Hey everyone. I hope you all had a good Christmas!**

**Read &amp; Review :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ophis' Dreamscape**

"Hold on! Leiko-san, would you please let go of my ear?! Just let me explain the situation!"

"Don't even think about it, Issei! I cannot _believe_ you would do something as stupid as this!"

"Stupid? Ow!"

"If I didn't love you so much _and_ if I had superpowers. I'd curb stomp you so badly…!"

Issei winced at the enraged expression Leiko gave him. The elder Hyoudou, after being freed from her restraints created by Solaris, immediately rushed up to grab Issei's ear and twist it.

_{Come now. She is a mere human. It can't hurt that bad! And I pray you aren't doing this just to give her the satisfaction!}_

"Don't think I didn't hear what your Dragon just said!" Leiko chided.

_{?!}_

Ignoring Ddraig's exclaim of surprise-

_{You've been doing that a lot lately.}_

Issei focused his attention on his irate cousin, feeling genuinely confused on why she was so angry. After all, it wasn't like he was the one who came up with Ophis' test. He only agreed with his wife because Ophis probably would have made him play along anyway.

"Do you have any idea…" Leiko started as her tone seemed to become frantic, "the suffering I've endured because of _her?_!"

Leiko used her free hand to point to her 'first cousin once removed'. She was secretly thankful that Solaris was still in her child form, lest Leiko be subjected to the former's adult incarnation's stare. But that didn't matter. The fact still remained! Solaris scared the hell out of her, and Leiko would be _damned_ if the child didn't get what she deserved!

"What do you mean, Leiko-san?" Issei asked, "What'd Sol-chan do?"

"First off," Leiko began, "Stop calling her 'Sol-chan'! She has been giving me the creepiest stares I've ever seen in my life! And I know creepy! Death itself can second that!"

"…You think Shinigami-san is creepy?"

Forgetting her anger momentarily, Leiko gave her younger cousin a blank but clearly annoyed glare.

"Ise-itoko, it's _Death_. Don't tell you're not in the least creeped out by her?"

"Well, I mean I was a little when I first met her." Issei admitted with a shrug, "But you get used to it."

"'How do you get used to Death?!"

_{Good job in changing the subject, partner.}_

'It ain't easy being…smarty.' Issei replied in the mind-link.

_((…Please don't say that again.))_

'Screw you, Al! That was clever!'

"Hey!"

Issei jumped as he looked to see Leiko frowning at him. The elder Hyoudou still had her finger pointed towards Solaris, who changed her expression to its cold look.

"Don't ignore me! And like I was saying…" She continued, "That little _sociopath-_"

"Socio-what?" Issei asked in confusion.

_{Man, partner. You're on a roll.}_

'It's not a trick this time, Ddraig.'

_((Kid, I would think that you of all people would know what a sociopath was.))_

_{And just what do you mean by that? Are you calling my host a sociopath?}_

_((Shut your mouth, Ddraig! I was referring to the enemies our host had to fight!))_

_{…My mistake.}_

_((Damn right it was…))_

"First off, tell your Dragons to shut up! And second, don't change the subject." Leiko answered, "As I was saying, that little sociopath Ophis calls her 'spawn', wouldn't leave me alone! In fact, when the test was almost over, she morphed into her adult form and threatened me! And that was before knocking me unconscious and dragging me back into this room! The room Ophis warned me not to let her in!"

Issei could only stare in surprise as he listened to Leiko rant about the actions of his 'daughter'. As he looked towards Solaris, the latter gave the Solar God an innocent tilt of the head.

"I didn't threaten Cousin Leiko." Solaris defended.

Leiko sharply turned around to glare at the childish Solaris, who had the _gall_ to give her an offended look.

"_That's_ all you have to say? Really?! So you don't deny the rest of what I just said!" Leiko shouted.

Issei blinked as he looked back and forth to Leiko and Solaris. The offended pout on Solaris' face dissolved in a matter of seconds, allowing her cold and malevolent expression to manifest.

"…Cousin Leiko should have stayed in the room." The 'daughter' of Issei and Ophis continued, "So she made herself lose."

_{Partner, ask your spawn how Leiko Hyoudou made herself lose. I know I'm going to get a kick out of this.}_

"Issei, don't you dare." Leiko warned.

Issei wisely kept his mouth shut. Not even _he_ was dumb enough to succumb to the obvious bait that could anger his cousin. Unfortunately, Solaris had heard the Welsh Dragon's words, and was all too eager to piss off her 'first cousin once removed'.

"Cousin Leiko had to go potty."

"…Potty?" Issei asked.

"?!" Leiko let out a 'meep' as her face reddened.

_{Ku ku ku. So the human had to relieve herself.}_

"Shut up…whatever your name is!" Leiko chided the Welsh Dragon, "And so what if I had to go?! I couldn't hold it in any longer! Solaris scaring the living daylights out of me wasn't exactly helping me either!"

_((Man, she really complains a lot.))_

Leiko's eyes twitched, indicating that she had indeed heard the White Dragon Emperor's comment. She felt so angry and humiliated, wanting to lash out at _something_. She had already yelled at her 'Ise-itoko' and the Two Heavenly Dragons. She almost thought of yelling at Ophis, but the Ouroboros Dragon probably wouldn't care if Leiko had said anything to her, so it was pointless.

Letting go of Issei's ear, Leiko stood up straight and clenched her fists. She looked directly at Solaris and narrowed her eyes, ignoring Issei's sigh of relief.

"Ok, Solaris," She began, "Issei said I won the test your mother gave to me, so that means I can finally leave this place and we never have to see each other again. Do you hear me? We never have to see each other again."

Solaris' eyes narrowed at her 'first cousin once removed', their liquid-amber hue glowing ominously.

"So is there any way to get out of here? You know, back to the human world?" Leiko asked.

Leiko locked her eyes onto Solaris, successfully matching her stare. Rubbing his ear in an attempt to ease his pain, Issei inwardly sighed as he looked just in time to see Solaris' body glowing.

_{She must be changing her form, partner.}_

'Somehow, I'm not surprised.'

Leiko's eyes remained onto Solaris as the latter pushed through her metamorphosis. As the glowing faded, Solaris, in her adult form, threw Leiko an intense and magnetic stare. Issei's eyes softened as he looked upon the grown form of his 'daughter'.

'I recognize that look. I think it's safe to say that she takes after Ophis more than me.'

_{But she has your eyes.}_

'…I hope she will.'

_{Hmm?}_

"Yes. Cousin Leiko can leave." Solaris began, "On one condition."

"No!" Leiko quickly refused, "No more conditions! I've had enough for tonight! I already won the te-"

Leiko was cut off when she suddenly felt an overwhelming force blow her away, causing her to bump her head against the window.

"Ahh!"

The elder Hyoudou grunted in pain as she held her head. She looked up and recoiled immediately as Solaris manifested in front of her, her nose almost touching Leiko's. The Shinto/Dragon God hybrid stared at her 'first cousin once removed' with an expression that bordered on suppressed hostility and morbid intensity.

Leiko widened her eyes as she looked around the room, trying to spot Issei. She felt her heart stop as she realized that she couldn't spot her younger cousin. He had disappeared!

"Ise-itoko?!" She said in surprise, "Where did he go?"

"Mother has taken him out of the dreamscape." Solaris answered.

Leiko widened her eyes further as she looked back to Solaris.

"Mother may have stated that I could not harm you." She began, "That does not mean I won't give you a _painless_ death."

"?!" Leiko gasped.

Solaris' intense stare seemed to soften only a little bit. The glow in her amber eyes faded away, leaving a much darker hue.

"Cousin Leiko has permission to leave. But on one condition."

Solaris brought her face closer to Leiko, prompting the latter to try to add more space between them.

"Stay away from _my_ father."

"…What?"

"Stay. Away. From. _MY_. Father." Solaris repeated, forcefully emphasizing each word, "He doesn't belong to you."

"?!"

"He belongs to Mother and I."

"…" Leiko could only stare in astonishment.

Suddenly the area surrounding Leiko and Solaris began to dissolve rapidly. Leiko felt her nervousness leave her as Solaris started to disappear, her burning stare never leaving the elder Hyoudou's sight. As the dreamscape of Ophis disintegrated, Leiko stood up straight and closed her eyes.

* * *

**Issei's Penthouse Apartment**

"You have no idea how mad I am at you right now, Ise-itoko."

Leiko huffed as she watched her younger cousin sit on his bed. The Solar God was lying on his back, his hands behind his head. The elder Hyoudou crossed her arms and looked all around Issei's room. She didn't really know what she was supposed to do now. She had won the test.

So why wasn't she celebrating?

Leiko put it in her mind that Ophis wasn't with them, as the Ouroboros Dragon was usually by Issei's side whenever she _really_ wanted to be. The fact of the matter was that Leiko wasn't even tired anymore. Both incarnations of Solaris; the child and adult form; had brought her frightening chills. In spite of that, it made Leiko think a bit strangely.

Why was Solaris acting so…weird about Issei? Maybe it was the fact she was a fragment of Ophis' subconscious that manifested in her dreamscape. But still, Leiko couldn't tell if Ophis had given Solaris any ounce of 'free will'. Whether or not Solaris served as an avatar of Ophis or an actual simulation confused Leiko to no end.

Looking down at Issei, Leiko frowned again.

"I don't understand how you can sleep that quickly, Ise-itoko." She muttered.

"I'm not asleep, Leiko-san." Issei suddenly replied, his eyes still closed.

Leiko cursed silently as she jumped a little.

"Damn it, Issei. Don't do that."

"You know, you really talk a lot." Issei replied.

The elder Hyoudou then sighed as she crossed her arms.

"I'm still mad at you."

Issei sighed and opened his eyes to look at Leiko.

"It wasn't really my plan to begin with, Leiko-san." He admitted, "Ophis came up with the plan. And once she does something, it's almost impossible to get her to change her mind about it."

"It still wasn't right of her to do that."

"…Sorry, Leiko-san."

Leiko pursed her lips as her eyes softened.

'Goddamn it!'

No matter what happened, she could never stay mad at her Ise-itoko. As she took a deep breath, Leiko brushed a strand of her hair.

"Ise-itoko. Solaris really scared me back there, in Ophis' dreamscape. There was something really 'off' about her during the whole test. She seemed to express a sense of normalcy whenever I mentioned you though. Otherwise, she was just menacing."

"…Hmm. That's a little strange." Issei replied, "But I'm not too worried about it, Leiko-san. The Solaris that exists in Ophis' dreamscape is just a fragment of her mind. I don't think she's gonna to end up like that in the future."

"She was still pretty creepy." Leiko kept on emphasizing.

Shrugging, Issei placed his hands behind his head again.

"Well…" He began, "I can honestly say I'm happy you made it out okay. But I have to say something else. You could have refused."

"Could have refused what?" Leiko questioned.

"Refuse to go through the test. It probably wasn't a good idea to agree to Ophis' test in the first place."

"…I'm not following you."

"Well I mean," Issei began hesitantly, "You agreed to Ophis' test at _four a.m, _Leiko-san_._ By that logic, the reason Ophis picked that time period was because she knew it would have been too late for you to actually delve into your prize."

"…"

"Now that I think about it, there's another thing. You didn't even have to ask if you could sleep with me and Ophis in the bed. Ophis would've let you anyway, Leiko-san. But now that it's pointless…"

"…Ise-itoko?" Leiko began.

"Hmm?"

"Take me home."

"Wha-"

"TAKE ME HOME RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

**Dimensional Gap**

"…Well goddamn it, Ophis. I didn't think it was possible, but you have successfully created the most morbidly diabolical 'Daddy's Little Girl' ever. I pray that when the kid knocks you up and you give birth to the spawn, she won't make it her goal to torture our cousin-in-law."

Ophis only raised a cool eyebrow in response, prompting Great Red to lift his head up in confusion.

"What?"

"Daddy's Little Girl? I, do not understand the phrase."

"Come on, Ophis. You know, when a female has a very close attachment to her male parent. And just think! When Solaris comes into existence, you might have to compete with her for the kid's attention. Hah! That'll be a riot!"

"..I'm going to hurt you, Baka-Red." Ophis replied flatly.

"As if you could, Cthulhu."

"…Cousin Leiko is currently being transported to her home. I, do not understand why. She has passed the test."

"Humph. Don't play bullshit with me. You and I both know that it's already too late, Ophis. It's almost six in the morning, and the kid has school today. By the time Leiko goes to sleep, Issei will already be up and ready to go."

"…Fine. I, will admit I was planning on that, Baka-Red. So even though Cousin Leiko has passed the test, her prize is no longer valid."

"…Wow! You're such a bitch!"

"No. I, have claimed many times that Issei belongs to me. I, do indeed view Cousin Leiko as someone I can refer to as 'family'. However, my Issei is _mine_. That fact shall remain, in spite of your claims of Cousin Leiko harboring a 'cousin-complex'."

"It's not a claim, Ophis. It's a fact." Great Red quipped, "Why do you think I helped you conjure up this test?"

"Because you are a troll."

"Ok. I won't deny that." The Apocalypse Dragon admitted, "In either case, it is a dead fact. I'm not saying it's to the point of obsession, like on your level or even Izanami's level."

"Do not compare me to Izanami-no-Mikoto, Baka-Red." Ophis warned as her dark-gray eyes narrowed, "By that logic, you are implying that I am a yandere."

"Fine, you're not. But you're obsessive. Very much so. Let's just hope that your spawn doesn't inherit that characteristic from you. If she does, we both know it's not going to come from Issei."

"…Once again," Ophis stated with a pout, "I, do not like talking to you."

"Then why did you come here?" Great Red teased.

"Because this is my home."

"_Was_ your home. You _used_ to live here. The day you and the kid moved into that penthouse apartment was the day you released ownership of the Dimensional Gap. So as it stands, this is _my_ home now."

The True Red Dragon God Emperor relished at the sight of the Infinite Dragon God bristling at his words. God, he loved trolling the hell out of Ophis, especially with no repercussions. After all, what was the worse Ophis could do?

"This is still my home, Baka-Red. I, was here first."

"So? It's not like you were doing anything in this world all those years ago. You just floated. That's it."

"That was because I craved silence." Ophis defended, "Which was impossible because of your very presence."

"Oh that hurt. That really hurt." Great Red said sarcastically.

Ophis rolled her eyes and sighed, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Why? Why do I subject myself to your idiocy, Baka-Red?"

"Because I'm the strongest Dragon in existence."

"…When my Issei and I procreate," Ophis began, "And we will, it will be wonderful. When Solaris is born, that will be a magnificent day. When she is old enough to speak and manifest her powers, I will proceed to bring her to the Dimensional Gap and let things run its course."

"What, you're going to get your future spawn to beat me up or something? Ha! That's so hilarious I forgot to laugh!"

"…"

Ophis gave her 'sibling' a cold stare, prompting the Great Red to lose just a bit of confidence. The Ouroboros Dragon then transported away, leaving the Apocalypse Dragon in the Dimensional Gap.

Great Red blinked his golden eyes several times, repeating Ophis' declaration in his head over and over. With a scoff, he shook his head.

"Humph."


End file.
